


The Day G-Dragon Disappeared

by 2Dglasses



Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-16 18:39:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13642179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2Dglasses/pseuds/2Dglasses
Summary: The 18th of August. Jiyong's birthday, but also the day that he vanished off the face of the earth.





	1. Happy Birthday

'It is two years to the day that legendary icon G-Dragon vanished seemingly off the face of the earth.

August 18th marked an occasion to celebrate for fans and friends all over the world as Kwon Jiyong celebrated his birthday, but now it is the second year where mourning is to take place.

Police officials are still trying to figure out what happened to G-Dragon that day two years ago. Some believe he may never be found. But for family, friends and fans, there is always still hope."

Choi Seunghyun switched off the television and threw the remote onto the couch across from him. He leaned back in his chair, placing his hands over his face and let out a long sigh dripping in sadness. His chest grew heavy and his nose began to tingle. The next thing he knew a tear was falling down his cheek.

He sat forward and took a picture from his coffee table. The image of his group during their trainee days stared back at him. They all looked so young. His dark eyes focused on the leader of the group. His boyish, fresh features lit up with his smile and the big arm that hung over his delicate shoulder. Seunghyun blinked as another tear leaked from his eye.

He missed him so much. 

The day that Jiyong disappeared was the worst day of his life. At this stage he couldn't even remember the little details of what was going through his mind. Just an intense feeling of panic and worry. Then when the days passed and he didn't come back, the older rappers' days were filled with a deep sadness that still hadn't faded even a little. 

The media had gone berserk. So much speculation and so many rumors. Older BIGBANG songs had re-entered the charts and tributes poured out everywhere from artists from every company and overseas. Flowers were left at the YG Building each day by fans and friends. 

The police carried out an extensive investigation, but couldn't find a single shred of evidence as to where the rapper had last been seen that day or anything from his home to show his last actions.

The worst thing about it for Seunghyun was not knowing. 

He knew Jiyong was struggling with depression for years, but it never even entered his mind that the younger man would ever act on his potentially dark thoughts. 

He would have had no reason to run away or leave without telling anybody. Seunghyun knew he would never want to intentionally hurt his family, friends, members or fans.

So then the only other option that the rapper could come up with was that Jiyong was taken somewhere against his will. But even thinking that made Seunghyun physically ill.

So whenever his mind began to wander to that scenario, the tall rapper would instantly shut it away. He didn't like the images that came with those thoughts.

He only remained hopeful that his leader would come back to them as if he never left.

But at this stage...

Was there still hope?

Just then his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, hyung."

"Youngbae."

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"8:00pm."

"Ji's place."

The voice on the other end of the line sounded sad.

"Ji's place."

Seunghyun confirmed in an equally sad tone.

"I'll tell the others. See you then."

The tall rapper put his phone in his pocket and stood up slowly. He stretched out his arms and walked into his kitchen.

He reached up to his wine cabinet and took down a shiny bottle. He read the label.

"1988. For you, Jiyong."

With that, he grabbed his keys and swiftly left his apartment, on his way to meet his brothers.

\--

Taeyang was the first to arrive. He always had a spare key to his best friends' place. He let himself in. Closing the door behind him, he turned and took in the scent of his leaders' apartment. Smoke mixed with a floral aroma. It smelled like Jiyong and it made Taeyang's heart ache.

He walked across the hall and into the dark living room. All of a sudden he felt something rub against his shin. He glanced down to see Ai looking up at him. The singer had been coming to his best friend's apartment every day to feed his beloved cat.

As he kneeled down to pet the feline he wondered when Ai stopped expecting Jiyong to walk through the door. Did Ai miss his owner like Taeyang missed his best friend?

He stood up and made his way to the kitchen to set up for when the others arrived.

For Jiyong's birthday last year, and also on the year anniversary of his disappearance, the members all got together at their leader's apartment and just spent time together in his space. It was their way of being as close to him as they could.

So they decided to do it again this year.

Taeyang had prepared food as the others arrived one by one. Seungri first, then Daesung and finally Seunghyun.

The oldest member poured a glass of wine for everyone, including Jiyong.

Seungri put on the stereo to play their own music. So that they could hear their leader's voice. 

Daesung lit up the fire place and arranged the couches close to the glass coffee table. 

They each sat around the table with a glass in their hand, their leader's sitting idle on the table in the middle, and raised their hands.

"Happy birthday, Jiyong."

Taeyang sadly announced as they toasted with each other before each clinking their absent friend's glass.

As they took a sip of the alcohol the sound from the stereo filled the room.

'After this time passes  
And I only I can forget everything  
Those memories, those happy memories  
Or in the next life  
I hope I can meet you and love you again  
Just like before.'

His pained voice surrounded them all. The haunting piano that followed echoed in their eardrums until it faded away, leaving each of them in silence, only able to look at the still full glass that their absent brother couldn't drink.

"I miss him so much."

Seungri finally said, almost quiet enough not to hear.

"I can't believe it's been two years."

The maknae continued.

"I know."

Daesung agreed.

"It's like we were sitting with him here only yesterday."

There was a silence after the singer spoke. Each member remembered the last time they were together and it was in the exact same place they were sitting now, for Jiyong's birthday two years previously.

"I keep going through that night in my mind over and over again."

Taeyang spoke.

"We left here at what, like midnight?"

The members nodded.

"Around then, hyung."

"Right. And I didn't see anyone around outside or in the building."

"No."

Seunghyun confirmed.

"Yeah and when we left him he wasn't really that drunk either."

Daesung added.

"So what the hell happened?"

Taeyang raised his hands in frustration.

"G-Dragon doesn't just disappear. It's physically impossible."

The maknae stated.

Seunghyun took another slow sip of his wine and looked at the glass sitting on the table.

"Only he did."

Nobody really knew what to say after such a solidifying sentence.

"I just hope he knows that wherever he is we are celebrating with him."

Seungri spoke, knowing that there was a big possibility that Jiyong wasn't anywhere right now. He said that more to reassure himself and his brothers.

Of course, the possibility that their leader was gone forever had crossed each of their minds, it was their worst fear, but they never discussed it out loud with each other.

"I just want him to walk through that door and to see his cute face light up again."

Seungri said as tears began to form in his eyes. Daesung instantly placed a reassuring hand on his crying brothers shoulder, tears threatening to fall from his own eyes too.

"We will. Don't worry. He will come back to us, Seungri."

The singer didn't really know if he believed the words coming from his own mouth, but he never let his doubt show.

Taeyang stood and briskly walked into the kitchen. Seunghyun caught a quick glimpse of him wipe at his eyes and decided to follow him.

He saw the small singer leaning over the sink crying quietly. 

"Youngbae."

"He's dead, isn't he?"

The younger man muttered through his sobbing breaths.

Seunghyun instantly stilled at the harsh words.

"Young-"

Taeyang turned to face his hyung.

"Every time one of us says that Ji is gonna walk through that front door, none of us really believe it, do we?"

The rapper swallowed not knowing what to say.

"Am I wrong, hyung?"

Seunghyun closed his eyes.

"Jiyong would have done everything in his power to let us know he was alright. A call. A text. Anything!"

At this stage Taeyang's increasingly loud voice caused the two younger members to enter the kitchen beside Seunghyun.

"It's been two years and we haven't heard anything. He's gone, hyung. And I..."

The singer placed his hands over his face.

"I- God, I just wish he was here."

Seunghyun saw that Taeyang was crumbling so he took him in his arms and they both lowered to the floor, the younger man now crying without holding anything in.

The oldest brother held him as close as he could and felt his own tears fall.

Seungri and Daesung watched the two members break down and approached them also. They sat down and just cried together. They cried for their missing member. Their missing brother.

Nobody moved for a long time. They just cried until they hadn't any tears left. 

After each of their breaths evened out they slowly pulled away from each other. Once they made eye contact with each other, they smiled and began to laugh. Nothing was funny, it was just the emotions that were running high at the moment. 

"Thanks, guys."

Taeyang said as he wiped the dampness from his cheeks. 

He let out a long breath, patted his knees and made a move to stand.

Just as they were all about to straighten up, a bang was heard.

They each turned towards where it came from.

The door.

"What was that?"

Seungri said and stood up straight.

Daesung followed the maknae's motion and turned to his two older brothers.

"Sounded like the door."

Taeyang and Seunghyun looked at each other before both standing simultaneously. 

"Nobody knows we're here, right?"

Taeyang stated more than asked.

"They shouldn't."

Seunghyun replied before slowly approaching the door.

His members watched him carefully slide the chain across and turn the key.

The tall rapper slowly pulled the door open.

There was nobody there.

He leaned out to look down the corridor only to see nothing.

He went to close the door, turning his gaze to the floor.

He froze. 

"Anybody there, hyung?"

Taeyang called.

Seunghyun brought his hand up to his mouth and felt his breathing stop.

"Oh my-"

"Seunghyun, what is it?"

Daesung asked when his older brother didn't reply.

Seunghyun couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't do anything as he looked down at the ground.

"J-Jiyong?"


	2. Scared

"J-Jiyong?"

Seunghyun whispered so quietly to himself that none of the others heard him.

The body on the floor was facing away from the door. His back was bare so the rapper instantly recognized those distinct tattoos of his long lost little brother. 

Without a moments more hesitation he kneeled down and reached for the person lying on the doorstep.

Taeyang watched his older brothers' movements and became increasingly curious.

"Hyung, what is it?"

Seunghyun slowly took the tiny body by the shoulder and gently pulled it to towards him.

Taeyang heard the taller man gasp and saw him fall back onto his ass. He was about to ask what was wrong when the body was revealed from behind Seunghyun's position.

His heart stopped.

"Oh my god."

Seungri and Daesung approached to get a look too. The maknae felt a shiver down his spine.

"Jiyongie!"

The volume of the youngest members' reaction caused Seunghyun to snap back to reality and scramble towards his fallen leader. 

Seeing that Taeyang wasn't moving, Daesung immediately paced forward and helped the oldest member pick up Jiyong and carry him inside. Seungri locked the door behind them.

They brought him into the living room and placed him down on the still warm couch where they been sitting only a few minutes ago talking about how much they missed him.

It was only now that they really got a good look at him.

The only item of clothing he was wearing was black suit pants. If memory served Taeyang correctly, that's part of what he was wearing the last time they saw him. They were ripped and worn and stained and looked like they hadn't been taken off in years.

His eyes trailed further up the rappers' body to see his hands tied in front of him.

"S-Somebody get a scissors."

Seunghyun requested shakily. Daesung ran into the kitchen and came back with a knife.

Seunghyun gently took Jiyong's delicate hands and held them while Daesung cut away the sharp rope.

Once the small rapper's arms were free, his oldest brother placed them in their natural position on either side of his body. He saw two red marks around his wrists that made him think that this wasn't the only time his hands had been tied.

Now that his chest was visible, a sign was revealed that had been hanging around their leader's neck. It was messily handwritten.

"Happy Birthday."

The maknae read out loud.

Taeyang instantly reached down and carefully took the sign off of his friend and threw it across the room. 

When he turned back to Jiyong he took in the sight of just how thin he was. He was severely underweight. He looked malnourished and almost starved. His ribs were visible through his skin and his stomach sunk inwards.

Taeyang knew Jiyong was always a thin man, but never anything like this.

On further inspection of his body, the members could make out what seemed to be scars. And some of the bones that poked through his skin looked to be at awkward angles, like they had been broken and not let properly heal.

Each member felt their blood boil and hearts melt.

The last thing they took in was their leader's face. Surprisingly his hair was short and looked like it had been cut recently. The black strands were messily spiked up at different angles, some falling over his forehead. He was clean shaven, as if someone had groomed him before bringing him here.

But his face was thin and gentle looking. Eyes closed and dark like he hadn't properly slept in years. A scar could be made out just above his left eyebrow and there was a slight redness around his neck.

But you would never know by the calmness to his face. 

Nobody really knew what to do. Seungri wanted to grab his leader and hug him as close as he could, but he looked so fragile.

Taeyang made the first move to approach Jiyong. He kneeled down next to him and placed his hand gently on his chest. He took a few moments.

"He's breathing."

He reassured the others as he felt the warm body beneath him.

"Thank god."

Seungri placed a hand on his own forehead. 

Taeyang took this opportunity to just touch Jiyong.

He moved his hands slowly across every rib, up each arm and along the birth date tattoo on his collar bone.

"Are you really here?"

He said breathlessly, needing to physically feel his friend to make sure what he just asked was true.

Seunghyun watched his younger brother. His movements were precise and loving. The sign of a life long friendship once thought to be gone, returning again. 

Taeyang eventually took Jiyong's face in his hands and turned it up to him. 

He smiled down at those familiar features only for his feline eyes to begin to move. 

It took a few more seconds for his heavy lids to open slowly. 

At first he seemed unfocused and unaware of anything, but as the image above him became clearer things changed. 

"Jiyong."

Their leader's eyes were fully focused now and he stared directly up at the man who was holding his face.

Taeyang could see Jiyong's dark orbs moisten and his button nose flare.

"It's me, Youngbae."

The singer could feel the rapper's chest begin to move faster as he felt his heart rate increase. 

"It's okay, Ji. We're all here."

Taeyang let go of his brother's face and gestured to the rest of the group.

Seunghyun smiled as Jiyong made eye contact with him, but as soon as he did he lowered his head and just looked at the floor.

"You're home, Jiyong."

The little rapper furrowed his brow in confusion and began to take in where he was. He surveyed the room, but with every new piece of information he took in the more panicked he seemed to become.

Seungri saw his leader clutch onto his own trousers as his breathing became faster.

"I don't think he recognizes where he is."

Daesung commented, seeing his brother in such distress.

Taeyang leaned in to take his friend's shoulder, but Jiyong instantly backed away and scrambled over the arm of the chair, falling to the floor. The singer stood up and watched as the smaller man began to crawl to the corner of the room.

Once he reached the wall he curled in on himself, hugging his legs to his chest and peering over his knees. He looked like a wounded animal. Terrified.

Seunghyun saw his body shake as he started to cry. The sight broke his heart. 

"Hyung, what's wrong with him?"

Seungri asked through freshly forming tears. 

"I- He must have been..."

The oldest member couldn't even try to form that sentence. 

"We need to call an ambulance."

Seungri ran into the kitchen to phone for help.

Daesung took out his own phone and dialled YG to let him know that Jiyong was with them.

Taeyang and Seunghyun continued to watch Jiyong cower in the corner of his own home.

"He's- He's terrified."

The younger singer observed.

The oldest member thought for a moment before slowly approaching his frightened man. He kneeled down in front of him.

Jiyong had his head buried in his own lap which was pulled close to his trembling chest.

"Ji?"

There was no reaction from his leader. He just continued to tremble.

Seunghyun glanced back at Taeyang who just looked at him sadly.

The tall rapper then decided to try and reach for his little counterpart so he ever so slowly leaned forward and placed his palm gently on Jiyong's shoulder.

"Ji-"

He was suddenly interrupted by the smaller rapper lashing out with his arm and swinging at his older brother.

He clipped Seunghyun's shoulder, startling the older man enough to fall back and hit against the coffee table.

"Ah!"

The oldest member exclaimed more out of shock then pain. The sound made Jiyong quickly look up.

Once the shaking man saw that Seunghyun was on the ground and holding his side he panicked.

Taeyang heard his best friend make a small frightened noise as Seunghyun moved to stand up. The little man instantly leaned forward and bowed in front of the now standing rapper. He bent so far forward that his forehead touched the ground and he hooked his hands behind his neck, over his distinct wings. He didn't dare move.

"I- I think he's... apologising, hyung."

Taeyang moved to stand beside the taller man and they both just looked down at their leader, who didn't move at all.

On closer inspection, there seemed to be some very faint scars on his skin that spanned the length of his back.

This time it was Taeyang who tried to connect with the frightened man.

"Jiyongie, you don't have to apologise. You didn't hurt Seunghyun. He's fine, look."

This only caused their leader to cling tighter to his head and make a quiet sobbing sound.

The singer turned up to his older brother. Seunghyun was staring down at Jiyong as if he was thinking about something. He shot a quick glance to Taeyang before he spoke.

"Stand up."

His tone was flat and commanding. 

"Hyung, what-"

Taeyang began, but shut his mouth when he saw Jiyong shakily, but quickly stand in front of them.

Their small leader stood awkwardly in front of his hyungs. His fragile body shaking and emaciated frame leaning on one wobbly leg. His arms were clasped behind his back and he kept his gaze at his brother's feet. 

Seunghyun didn't look away from his leader.

"I think he's been conditioned, Youngbae."

Taeyang turned to his older brother and opened his mouth to speak, but words didn't come out.

How on earth did this happen?

The singer put his hand up to his forehead.

"What could have- How did... Seunghyun, what the hell happened?"

The smaller man couldn't get his thoughts clear in his scrambled up head.

He turned back to face his best friend who now seemed to be swaying as he stood, eyes now closed.

Seunghyun, seeing the difficulty Jiyong was having staying upright, took a step forward.

"Jiyong, you can sit-"

But before he could finish his half hearted command, his leader collapsed to the floor.


	3. You Know Me

The ambulance came within minutes and Jiyong was brought straight to the hospital. His members went with him of course. 

When Daesung called his leader's parents they were out of the country so they cancelled everything and said they would be on the first flight back. 

YG wasn't available when Seungri rang so he left a message and knew that as soon as he saw it he would reply instantly.

So that left the four members. They sat anxiously in the private waiting room while Jiyong was being examined. 

"This is insane."

Seungri stated.

"I can't believe he's back."

Daesung added.

Taeyang stood and began to pace slowly.

"He's back, but he's- He's messed up."

"Yeah, did you see how thin he is?"

"It's not just that, Dae."

The oldest member began.

"It's like he's afraid to do anything."

"What do you mean?"

Seungri asked.

Taeyang stopped moving and sat on a chair facing the others.

"When you both were in the kitchen, Seunghyun-hyung went close to Ji, but he pushed him away."

"I lost my balance and fell back against the table."

The oldest member added.

"As soon as Ji realized, he was immediately at Seunghyun's feet bowing."

The singer described sadly. He had never seen his best friend in that position before.

"Then he wouldn't get up until I told him to."

Taeyang turned to his hyung.

"Forcibly. Like a command."

Seunghyun nodded.

"Guys, wherever Jiyongie has been for the last two years, he's been severely mistreated."

The small singer explained.

"It's like as if he's been worn down so that he's terrified of everything and everyone. And honestly..."

The oldest member took a moment.

"That's the most terrifying thing of all."

The members let what their oldest brother said sink in for a few moments. 

They thought back to the sign that had been put around his neck and how whoever had been keeping their leader away from them must have had some sadistic reason why. The timing was two precise.

"So, Ji-hyung isn't feeling himself."

The maknae brought the others attention to him.

"Now it's our job to take care of him and let him know that he's not some wounded animal. He's respected and loved."

"And doesn't need permission to stand up from the god damn floor."

Daesung added defiantly.

Taeyang nodded.

"Okay. The police can handle finding whoever did this. We'll give them the sign Jiyongie was wearing and any security footage that can help. Our focus is helping Ji to heal."

Seunghyun put his hand on Taeyang's shoulder and the other out in front of him.

"Let's do this guys. Let's bring Jiyongie back."

The members each put their hands in and made their promise together.

"Fighting!"

As the groups motivation was sky high the doctor entered the waiting room.

"Apologies for interrupting."

The members instantly stood up and approached her.

"Not at all, doctor."

Taeyang assured her.

"My name is Dr Park. Please sit and I'll explain the results of my examination."

They did as she asked.

Dr Park let out a slow breath and prepared for what she was about to tell them.

They could sense her apprehension so Seunghyun spoke through the tension.

"Doctor Park, please. We know he's in a bad way. Please don't hesitate."

She nodded.

"Mr Kwon is in a bad way both physically and mentally. He's had several bones broken and not let reset properly. This has led to some becoming slightly misshapen, most notable his left kneecap and a couple of his ribs."

Taeyang remembered his ribs looking angry and jutting out through his skin. He also remembered how he had collapsed after having difficulty standing, but that could have been from exhaustion or hunger.

"There is some tissue damage evident also. Most notably, scarring along his left eyebrow and spanning almost the entirety of his back. But these scars seem to be at least a year old."

Taeyang and Seunghyun exchanged a look. 

"In fact, most of his injuries seem to be older. The only recent ones appear to be the cuts and bruising around his wrists and neck."

Seunghyun thought back to when he first saw Jiyong at the door.

"When he was brought back to us his hands were tied."

Dr Park nodded.

"I see. I suspect that he has been restrained for most of the time he has been absent. I would even suggest kept in stress positions which could have added further bone and muscle damage."

"Shit."

Taeyang muttered.

"He's also shown signs of hand tremors, general confusion as to where he is and difficulty focusing. These are common symptoms of sleep deprivation. But what is most concerning is his weight. He's severely malnourished. So much so, that he's lost any appetite for food or drink. He doesn't seem to be able to sense hunger or thirst at all. So if he won't voluntarily at least try to have some liquids then we will have to feed him medically."

Taeyang took a moment and looked back at his older brother again before he spoke.

"Doctor, Jiyong can't voluntarily do anything."

"I don't understand."

Seunghyun cleared his throat.

"Wherever he's been and whoever has been keeping him away from us for the past two years seems to have programmed him, for lack of a better word."

Taeyang continued.

"He won't respond if you ask him nicely or show him any form of kindness. He probably hasn't been shown any since that day. But as soon as you order him, he will do whatever you say. It's like he's too scared of the consequences if he doesn't."

As the singer spoke he could feel the tears threaten to form in his eyes at how incredibly heartbreaking what he just explained was.

"I see."

Doctor Park wrote down on her clipboard.

"The psychologist was due in on Monday, but I'll try to get him in ASAP."

The thought scared the members. Jiyong had such a brilliant mind. If anything were to happen to it permanently, it would be the saddest thing that could ever happen to him.

"Doc, did he... say anything while you were checking him?"

Their leader hadn't spoken one word since they had seen him again, so Seungri asked a question that was on everybody's mind.

"No. He was only semi-conscious for part of my examination and I want him to rest as much as he can right now. That and feeding him are my main priority."

She saw the concern on their faces.

"Don't worry. There was no evident damage to his vocal chords. This is most likely due to trauma or even misuse. He will speak again when he's ready."

"Thank you."

The maknae nodded.

"Doctor"

The oldest member spoke. 

"Let me try to get him to eat."

She hesitated for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

Seunghyun felt Taeyang's hand on his knee. 

"Yeah. I think I can do it."

Dr Park thought for a moment more before standing.

"Okay, but I can only allow you in to see him right now. I don't want to cause him any more distress by crowding him. This is probably the first time he's had undisturbed rest in a long time."

"I understand, doctor."

Seunghyun looked back to his fellow members.

"It will be fine, I promise."

Without another word, Seunghyun followed Dr Park to Jiyong's room. She opened the door and they both went in. The lighting was dim to allow the small rapper to rest comfortably. He lay in the bed with his eyes closed, looking tiny. 

Seunghyun hated to see his once fearsome leader so vulnerable. Then again, that was G-Dragon. Kwon Jiyong was quiet and shy and gentle. For the public, G-Dragon the icon was taken, but for Seunghyun, his cute little brother was.

He stood beside Jiyong's bed and just took him in. He looked exhausted. Even when he rested he looked tired. His dark hair seemed damp and matted to his forehead. He must have been running a fever. The least of his problems, the tall rapper thought. 

Seunghyun glanced back at Dr Park who in turn blinked back at him in indication. He turned back to his little brother.

"Ji, can you hear me?"

There was no response.

"Jiyongie."

He reached over and placed his hand over the other man's smaller one. His little friend shifted and unconsciously gripped Seunghyun's hand.

The tall rapper felt a wave of warmth wash through him. He hadn't been able to touch his best friend in over two years until this very moment. 

Just as soon as the warmth filled his chest, it evaporated when he felt the grip loosen as the smaller rapper came around.

Jiyong furrowed his brow and slowly opened his tired eyes. They remained unfocused for a few moments before he noticed the figure over him.

He immediately sat up straight and backed as much as he could into the headboard.

"Ji, it's okay. It's just me. You know me."

Dr Park watched the interaction transpire in front of her. She knew full well who these people were. She liked their songs and had seen them in interviews on tv. She watched the media outpour when the injured man initially disappeared. And now seeing them here in front of her broke her heart.

"Jiyongie. Please, you know who I am."

The smaller man was terrified. He couldn't keep his gaze on Seunghyun for more than five seconds before pulling the covers closer to him to shield his trembling form.

The older man glanced back to Dr Park who looked back at him through glassy eyes. He frowned and faced back to his friend.

"Look at me."

The doctor instantly sensed the change in the man's tone. He sounded like a parent scolding his child. Is this what he was talking about?

The trembling man opened his eyes and made contact with the tall rapper. His dark orbs were moist with tears that were yet to fall.

"Stop hiding your face."

Jiyong hesitated for a second before lowering the blanket back down to his lap. 

Seunghyun and Dr Park could sense that he was becoming increasingly uneasy, but she was amazed that he was responding.

The older man shifted a little closer before he continued.

"Jiyong, do you know who I am?"

His leader just blinked back at him.

"Answer me."

The trembling man gulped before slowly nodding.

He responded. Finally.

"Good, Jiyong. That's good."

Seunghyun praised his little brother, smiling down at him.

His leader didn't know how to respond to a smile so he just blinked slowly and glanced to Dr Park before looking down at his own tangled hands.

Seunghyun turned to face the doctor. 

"Okay, do you want to get his food?"

"Yes. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

Dr Park closed the door behind her leaving just Seunghyun and Jiyong alone together.

The older brother watched as his little brother sat still, but extremely uneasy. He could hear his shaky breaths and how his face seemed tense. His bottom lip protruded a little and the taller rapper thought this was one of the cutest, and at the same time, saddest things he had ever seen.

"Jiyong."

His leader blinked, furrowing his brow.

"Look at me."

He did as he was told.

"Can you speak?"

The smaller man just looked back at his older brother.

"Jiyong, from now on when I ask you a question you will answer me. Do you understand?"

His leader looked down, scared and nodded.

Seunghyun hated himself for being so firm with the clearly distressed man, but if he didn't Jiyong would still be hidden under his covers.

"Can you speak?"

Jiyong hesitated before shaking his head slowly. 

"Why not?"

Before his leader could answer, Dr Park returned with a bowl in her hands.

The door startled Jiyong causing him to flinch.

"Here we are."

The doctor said warmly and pulled the tray over to sit the bowl on. She placed a spoon next to the warm bowl.

Jiyong stared at the bowl for a moment before looking up at Dr Park who simply smiled back at him. 

"You need to eat, Mr Kwon. It's good for you."

Jiyong immediately shifted his gaze to his brother.

"Do as she says, Ji. Try to eat some soup."

The small rapper gulped before slowly leaning forward and reaching for the spoon. 

Seunghyun could see what Dr Park was talking about when she mentioned the hand tremors. Jiyong managed to eventually pick up the spoon, but his shaky fingers weren't strong enough to hold it so he dropped the metal utensil into the liquid, causing it to splash onto the table.

He instantly made a panicked noise and shielded his face with his arms.

Dr Park grabbed a cloth and wiped the table silently.

"Jiyong, it's okay. Hey, look at me."

The injured man removed his hands from his face and did as he was told.

Seunghyun could see tears that had fallen down his little brother's cheeks.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's clean now. Look."

The little rapper looked down at the table to see that it was already cleaned up. 

"I will feed you."

He looked back at the deep voiced man.

"Is that okay?"

He knew it was a question and that he needed to answer, but it didn't matter if he thought it was okay so why was he being asked?

He hesitated.

"That was a question, Jiyong. Please answer."

Please? Why did he say please? People are only polite to those they respect. 

Jiyong was so confused, but when he returned his gaze to Seunghyun and saw that he was still staring at him he knew he needed to answer.

So he nodded nervously. 

"Good."

Seunghyun smiled and took the spoon and blew on the liquid before bringing it up to his leader's mouth.

Jiyong took one more glance at the taller man before leaning his head forward and opening his mouth, just about allowing Seunghyun to place the spoon inside. The smaller man let his tongue absorb the warm liquid and closed his eyes.

Dr Park beamed at the delicate man. He did it. He was actually eating. 

Seunghyun gave his best friend a few moments to see if he could keep it down. Jiyong eventually swallowed before opening his eyes and looking up at his brother.

"Great, Jiyongie. Good job!"

His older brother praised him, smiling warmly down at him. 

Something inside the smaller man, something hidden beneath the pain and confusion, seemed to spark in that very moment.

For the first time in two years, the corner of his mouth curled up.

And he, ever so slightly, smiled.


	4. Talk to Me

The members stayed close to their leader over the next few days. Of course, his family had finally arrived and YG had gotten Seungri's message. So they took turns between visits to go in one by one and see how their brother was doing. They longed for more time with him, to fulfill their promise to each other to make him better, but they weren't selfish. There were a lot of people who held their leader dear. 

Whenever anybody did visit him he didn't do much. He was too scared and became overwhelmed seeing so many new faces, or in actuality, old faces.

And by this time the news had broken.

'G-Dragon back from the dead.'

The initial media outpour was insane. So much speculation and so many rumors. But in fairness, nobody even knew if any of those rumors were true or not. Not until either whoever was responsible was caught or Jiyong told them what happened to him himself.

Fan support was amazing. VIP's from all over the world were sending messages to the group telling them that they will support them until whenever and to not rush Jiyong's recovery because they will be waiting the whole time.

The members were very grateful for this and vowed to tell their leader as soon as they felt he could handle it. 

Because there was a lot he couldn't handle right now. Nobody knew this more than Seunghyun and his brothers.

It was around two weeks after Jiyong was first brought to the hospital that they felt he was okay to bring home. It was a case where he was simply too afraid to remain in hospital. He only ate when he was forced to and not everyone was able to communicate with him. Along with his parents and big sister, the members were the only other people he seemed to acknowledge or at least make eye contact with. And nobody had been allowed to touch him. No exceptions.

So the decision to discharge him was more for the sake of him being more comfortable in his surroundings. There was a strict list of precautions to take with him. He was physically and psychologically abused for two years and he needed to be taken care of correctly. 

The broken bones and scars had more or less healed at this stage, but because they weren't let heal properly, they would have some permanent effects on him. It was more that he was very weak and couldn't carry out a lot of basic movements just yet. That's what he would need the most help with physically.

The psychologist explained that the leader was suffering from severe post traumatic stress. His lack of speech and ability to do anything without being given permission was most likely due to a fear of being punished. So whoever had been keeping him locked away obviously had the capacity to be sadistically cruel.

With everything combined, was Jiyong really ready to go home? At this stage, where was home for him really?

It was decided that he would be brought back to his own apartment and loved ones would take shifts with him until he was okay to be alone, however long that may take.

When it was time to move him, Seunghyun managed to get him into a wheelchair. As he sat low in the seat, Taeyang pulled the hood of his oversized hoodie up over his head. 

"There you go, Jiyongie. So none of the flashing will hurt your eyes."

The fabric covered most of his little brother's face, but his big eyes peeped through underneath. The singer smiled at how adorable he was.

"Okay, let's go."

The media were waiting like vultures outside the hospital door. As Seunghyun wheeled out his little leader the flashing instantly lit up the face of the building. The sea of security wouldn't let a single person within 10 feet of any of the members, but their presence was still definitely felt.

Taeyang glanced down at Jiyong to see the smaller man's fists clenched in his lap. He couldn't see his face because of the hood, but he could tell he was stressed.

They eventually reached the car and Seunghyun walked around to face Jiyong and bent down to his level.

"I'm going to lift you into the car now."

And without another word or waiting for a response he scooped up his leader who weighed almost nothing and gently placed him in the backseat. 

Taeyang had gotten in the far door to sit opposite him. Seunghyun got in the passenger seat.

As the car began to drive away, Taeyang reached over to Jiyong and slowly took his hood away from his face.

The leader looked shaken, but he wasn't crying which was a good sign.

"Ji, I'm going to put on your seatbelt now."

The singer reached over and pulled the belt around the smaller man's torso. 

Taeyang heard a very faint whimper once he clicked the belt into place. He glanced up to see Jiyong's eyes shut tight. He then glanced at Seunghyun who was watching from the front.

"Jiyong, listen to me."

The deep voice began.

"You're not being restrained, okay? You are in a car and it is just your seatbelt. We all have one."

Taeyang sat back into his seat and reached for his own. Seunghyun continued.

"Jiyong, open your eyes."

The small leader slowly did as he was told.

"Look at Youngbae."

The smaller man shakily turned to face his older brother and watched as he put on his own seatbelt securely.

"You can still move your arms around. Look."

Taeyang held his hands out in front of him and waved his fingers playfully, smiling."

Jiyong saw this and turned to look down at his own clasped hands on his lap. After a moment he lifted his trembling hands in front of him and repeated his brother's movement by waving his trembling fingers.

"See? It's not so bad."

Jiyong nodded ever so slowly before lowering his hands back onto his lap and simply looked at the seat back in front of him. His eyes grew heavy, but he needed to keep them open. 

Seunghyun watched this and shot Taeyang a sad glance.

"Sleep, Jiyong."

He said and the little rapper immediately let his chin drop down to his chest and he fell asleep in seconds.

"He was exhausted, hyung. He didn't say anything."

Seunghyun didn't take his gaze off of his leader.

"I think there will be a lot of things he's feeling that he won't tell us, Bae. Now it's up to us to let him know that it's okay to act on those feelings."

"Right."

Taeyang nodded and placed his hand gently on his best friend's knee, being careful not to wake him.

He didn't say anything for a moment. He just watched as his little leader's chest rose and fell while he breathed.

"Come back to us, Jiyongie."

 

\--

 

The drive to Jiyong's apartment wasn't long and by the time they got back he was still asleep so Seunghyun picked him up carefully to carry him inside.

The tall rapper placed his smaller counterpart on the sofa gently. Once Jiyong seemed comfortable, Seunghyun headed for the kitchen.

"Coffee?"

Taeyang took off his jacket and placed it over the kitchen stool.

"Love some."

The smaller man sat up on the stool and half faced his older brother and half faced his younger brother.

"Did you hear anything from the police?"

He asked the taller man.

"Last I heard they were analyzing the handwriting on the sign."

Seunghyun poured Taeyang a strong coffee and placed it in front of him.

"Thanks."

He took a sip slowly.

Seunghyun observed the other man's movements.

"You okay?"

Taeyang turned back to face him.

"No. You?"

Seunghyun let out a short breath.

"Not by a long shot."

The smaller man nodded.

"I mean, he's right there, hyung. We got our wish. He's back with us. But he's... He-"

"Youngbae."

The taller man leaned on the counter. 

"He's been gone for two years. Two weeks ago we didn't know if he was even still alive. And we were pretty damn close to accepting the fact that he was never coming back."

Taeyang looked down at his coffee as he listened.

"Now look, I can't even begin to imagine what he's been through to have him return to us like this, but it's up to us now. He knows who we are. He just needs to learn to trust again. He'll find himself. We're his compass now, yeah?"

Taeyang laughed.

"We're his compass."

The smaller man repeated causing Seunghyun himself to laugh.

The taller man finished his cup and placed it on the counter before making his way back over to his sleeping friend. He felt his forehead. He was hot.

"We should probably get this hoodie off him."

Taeyang sat on the other side of Jiyong and hesitated.

"We should wake him first."

"Yeah, wouldn't be the best thing for him to wake up in the middle of being undressed."

Seunghyun agreed and tugged gently on his leader's hoodie, being careful not to touch him.

"Ji. I need you to wake up now."

The small man shifted a little before slowly opening his eyes. 

"Hey, Jiyongie."

Taeyang smiled at him. It took the rapper a few moments to come around.

"We're back at your place. You're home."

Jiyong took in the familiar space and seemed to relax a little. Once he was satisfied he knew where he was, he simply looked up at Seunghyun and waited.

"You're feeling a little warm so we're going to take that hoodie of yours off, okay?"

Their leader glanced down at the oversized peaceminusone hoodie that he was swimming in before looking back up a bit unsure.

"Okay?"

Seunghyun repeated to which Jiyong just nodded.

His two older brothers took a sleeve each and very carefully pulled the fabric away from their little friend's body. Once the heavy material was fully off of him Taeyang noticed that it had caused his shirt underneath to ride up so he reached to pull it back down.

This movement caused Jiyong to flinch.

"It's okay, Ji. I'm just covering you back up.

Taeyang moved very slowly, not touching his best friend's skin, and moved the thin fabric back down.

That seemed to be okay with Jiyong as he didn't flinch away this time.

Seunghyun smiled and folded the oversized hoodie before placing in on the arm of the chair.

"How about I make you some tea?"

The smaller man furrowed his brow immediately, looking confused.

The oldest brother kneeled down to his level and looked right at him.

"Jiyong, would you like some tea?"

His little brother's breathing picked up a bit as he clasped his hands together. 

Taeyang could see how distressed he was becoming.

"Hey, it's okay."

Jiyong opened his mouth ever so slightly, like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

Both of his brothers caught this and glanced to each other. Seunghyun shimmied a little bit closer so that he was almost touching Jiyong's knees.

"Jiyong, I want you to listen to what I'm about to ask very carefully and take your time to answer. Can you do that for me?"

After a few moments, the shaking mad nodded.

"Good."

Taeyang was looking between his older and younger brother.

"Why can't you speak?"

As soon as the words left Seunghyun's mouth Jiyong closed his eyes and gulped. He gripped at the hem of his shirt and stuck his bottom lip out as he really began to think. Taeyang could see the rollercoaster of emotions inside his head.

"You can answer. We won't hurt you, Jiyongie."

Without opening his eyes, a tiny whisper came from their leader.

"N-Nothing I say matters."

That sentence hit Seunghyun and Taeyang like a tonne of bricks. Neither of his older brothers knew how to respond.

They hesitated before Taeyang leaned closer, but not too close.

"Why doesn't it matter?"

Their leader kept his eyes shut.

"W-When I talk... it hurts."

His voice was hoarse, like it hadn't been used in years. 

The singer leaned a little closer to inspect Jiyong's throat.

"Dr Park said there was no damage to his vocal chords. Maybe we should call..."

He trailed off when he saw Seunghyun's expression as the older rapper watched a tear fall from Jiyong's eye.

"W-When I talk... they h-hit me..."

After he listened to himself speak he made a realization and looked up suddenly between his two older brothers.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't h-have- Please..."

The little man brought his knees up close to his chest and tucked his head in towards him, trembling.

Seunghyun and Taeyang's hearts broke in that very moment.

"Jiyong."

He didn't move.

"Jiyong, you don't have to look at me, but I want you to listen."

They heard him sniff behind his knees as he cried.

"Nobody will ever hurt you for speaking again."

He couldn't believe he was actually having to say these words to another human being, let alone his sweet little brother.

"Please, don't be afraid to say what you feel. We will never hurt you."

Taeyang felt himself well up at his brother's words.

The shaking boy eventually peered up from his legs.

"R-Really?"

"We promise."

They smiled warmly at him to affirm their sincerity.

Jiyong uncurled from himself and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"T-Thank you, h-hyung-deul."

The term their little brother used might have just begun to heal their hearts that had just broken.

Seunghyun and Taeyang would need time to process what Jiyong had just told them, but for now, they needed to be his older brothers.

"Now, how about that tea?"


	5. Want

"So it seems like whenever he spoke they would beat him."

Seunghyun explained what Jiyong had told Taeyang and himself.

"That's why he's so afraid."

Seungri surmised from his position on the couch. 

It was his and Daesung's shift with their leader. The two older members were passing on what they had learned from their time with him.

Because Jiyong couldn't really walk by himself right now, Taeyang had carried him into the bathroom and waited outside.

"Did he say anything else, hyung?"

Daesung asked, wanting to be extra sure he knew how his leader was progressing.

Seunghyun folded his arms and leaned back against the counter.

"He understands now that he can speak without being hurt. He still won't say anything unless being spoken to first, but it's baby steps. 

"Got it."

Just then, Taeyang returned with the smaller man in his arms. He carried Jiyong in and lowered him gently on the couch between his two little brothers. The leader placed his hands on his lap and simply sat there.

Taeyang bent down to his level.

"Ji, Seungri and Dae are going to stay with you now, okay?"

The little rapper nodded.

"Ok."

Seungri smiled at the first word he'd heard his big brother say in two years. His voice was deep, but small.

"Goodbye guys. Call if you need anything."

Seunghyun saluted to his younger members before leaving with Taeyang. Seungri had gotten up to see them both out.

The youngest brother closed the door and turned back to his two members. 

"Okay. Who wants some breakfast?"

Seungri's approach with Jiyong was to try and be as natural as possible. Act like normal and if he saw that his leader was having a hard time, then he would step in.

Daesung turned to Jiyong and quietly spoke.

"Are you hungry, hyung?"

Their small leader went through the familiar struggle in his head. 

"Do you want to eat?"

Jiyong looked at Daesung now. Confusion in his face.

"W-Want?"

The singer looked back at his little brother, who shot him a look back before stepping forward.

"Yeah, hyung. Would you like some breakfast?"

It took a moment for their older brother to say anything. 

"I-I don't..."

Seeing that the delicate man was having trouble understanding, Daesung stood up and patted his own knees.

"How about this? We'll make enough for the three of us and if you feel like eating it will be there for you. Does that sound good, hyung?"

Jiyong was still a bit uneasy, but he nodded just as a sign that he understood.

"Great."

Daesung smiled and turned towards Seungri and they headed for the kitchen. The two younger brothers stopped, however, when they heard a gasp.

They turned back around to see a familiar feline now sitting in Jiyong's lap.

Their leader was startled and had his arms raised awkwardly when he felt the added weight on his lap, but once he registered who it was, he lowered his hands and became curious.

"Ai?"

The cat looked up at the familiar face and brushed against Jiyong's chest, meowing playfully.

The little rapper could feel a warmth inside his chest as the familiar feeling of his feline friend in his lap returned to him. He gently petted his cat and let the smile on his face form.

The reunion made Seungri and Daesung feel their hearts swell.

"Ai missed you so much, hyung."

Daesung said lovingly.

"Yeah. He waited everyday for you to come home."

Seungri added through a smile.

Ai stood up on his hind legs and lightly head butted Jiyong's forehead.

"I m-missed him too."

The leader said more to himself then to the others. 

The two brothers left their leader to play with his little feline friend, allowing him to forget everything that had happened even just for a moment. 

They spent about half an hour preparing breakfast. During that time they heard the playful purring from Ai and Jiyong's small voice talking to the animal. His voice was light and care free, knowing that Ai could never hurt him. 

After a while they brought in breakfast, enough for them all. They even brought in some milk for Ai, who leapt down off of Jiyong's lap to go for the bowl.

The two younger brothers ate and let their leader eat if he wanted to. They didn't pressure him. 

But he didn't reach for a single slice of toast or even a glass of water. He just watched the others through heavy eyes as they ate. 

He could feel his eyes getting heavier, but he tried his best to stay awake. He'd learnt his lesson before.

The maknae caught his big brother's chin fall slowly down to his chest as he fell asleep. He smiled and gestured towards him.

"He must be exhausted."

Daesung examined his leader's face as he chewed his toast.

"I feel so sorry for him. I just want to take him in my arms and protect him."

"I know."

Seungri took a sip from his glass of water and continued.

"Look at it this way, hyung. He's been home, what, a couple of days? And he's already talking."

Daesung looked at his sleeping leader in contemplation. 

"We're making progress, Dae. This time next week we'll be able to hold him like we used to. You'll see."

Seungri smiled and stood up, wiping his hands.

"We should keep this for when he wakes up. He'll probably be hungry."

Daesung said as he stood up, taking some of the plates into the kitchen. Seungri helped bring the glasses in after him. 

They cleared what was used and kept what they thought Jiyong might want later in the fridge.

As Daesung closed the fridge door he heard something. He looked up at Seungri who was looking over the counter at Jiyong.

They heard his heavy breathing as they ran around to reach him. Their leader was sitting up and hyperventilating, looking completely panicked.

"I-I'm s-sorry... I didn't m-mean to!"

Both Seungri and Daesung could see that he was awake. This wasn't a nightmare so he was conscious of what he was saying. They were so confused.

"Ji-hyung, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I-I didn't... please. I tried t-to keep m-my eyes open."

The little rapper was full on crying now. He raised his hands to cover his face.

"P-Please don't..."

Daesung looked at his little brother before kneeling down in front of his big brother. He could feel the sting of tears forming in his eyes, but he kept his composure.

"Jiyong, hyung, you fell asleep."

His leader whimpered behind his hands.

"Shh, shh. It's okay. You don't have to be sorry for that. You were tired, that's all."

Jiyong didn't move.

"Please, hyung. Can you stop hiding your face?"

After a moment, their leader lowered his arms and looked at Daesung through tear clouded eyes. He looked scared and confused.

Seungri immediately grabbed some tissues from the kitchen and returned to his leader, kneeling down beside Daesung.

"Hyung, I'm going to wipe your tears away."

The maknae slowly raised the fabric to his big brother's face and seeing that he didn't flinch, he gently brushed away the moisture from the rapper's delicate cheek.

"You're okay."

Daesung soothed.

"Were not going to hurt you. You're safe."

Jiyong sniffed and blinked away the last of his tears. As Seungri took the tissue away from his leader's face, Jiyong looked down at his hands in his lap and sighed gently. 

"You're okay."

Daesung repeated one last time, doing his very best to put his big brother at ease.

His younger brothers just watched him for a moment. He shifted uncomfortably and clutched his stomach, closing his eyes tight. 

"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"

The older singer asked.

Their leader opened his tired eyes and looked at him before gulping.

"Please answer, hyung. We want to make you feel better."

Seungri did his best to sound sincere, but not too firm.

His leader eventually nodded. Daesung immediately went into the kitchen and returned with the breakfast from before.

"Why didn't you eat with us earlier? We made enough for you."

The maknae asked.

Jiyong looked back down at his twisted hands before answering.

"Y-you didn't say that I could."

Seungri felt like he had been slapped in the face.

"What? Hyung I-"

Then he suddenly thought of what Seunghyun had told him. They needed to basically order their leader to do anything or he wouldn't do it. He and Daesung had just left the food and expected him to take some himself. Now he knew that he never would without being told to. And they just say there eating while he was starving.

He kneeled down and sat on his feet. Looking down at his own hands. Tears were now forming in his downcast eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

His big brother looked at him in confusion. Daesung put a hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"Hyung, listen to me now."

The maknae continued. His tone made his leader tense, but look at him directly.

"From now on, when you're tired you sleep, when you're hungry you eat, when you want to say something you say it."

Jiyong furrowed his brow and glanced at Daesung for help in understanding, but Seungri continued without looking up from his hands on his knees.

"Say you understand. Please, just say you understand."

His voice cracked and a tear fell from his eye. Jiyong saw this happen and gulped before he eventually spoke.

"...I-I understand."

The maknae immediately nodded and stood up quickly, making his way out of the room.

Their leader watched his younger brother leave and turned back to Daesung. 

The singer was concerned for Seungri, but he turned to Jiyong and smiled warmly. 

"What Seungri means is, hyung, whenever you feel hungry or tired you don't need permission to act on those feelings."

He tentatively placed his hand on his leader's knee, pleasantly surprised when his older brother didn't flinch away.

"Please try to remember what it was like before."

Daesung watched his leader blink back at him.

"Now, eat as much as you want. I'm going to go check on Seungri."

He smiled one last time before standing and leaving his brother alone. 

Jiyong slowly reached forward to the newly produced plate and shakily picked up a piece of toast. He inspected the bread as he thought about what Daesung had just said.

"Before."

Then he raised the toast to his mouth.

Crunch.


	6. Please

Seungri sat on his leader's bed with his head in his hands. He was crying. He felt so guilty. How could he not have picked up that his way of dealing with Jiyong was wrong? Seunghyun had told him the way to get through to him. The maknae just wasn't able to be so firm with his leader when he was so fragile.

Still, he should have sacrificed his own feelings for the safety of his older brother. Those were the thoughts running through his mind. 

The door opened and Daesung slowly entered.

"Are you okay?"

The maknae quickly wiped at his face.

"Yeah, hyung. I'm okay."

The older singer stepped further into the room.

"You know it's not your fault right?"

Seungri sniffed and laughed.

"Seunghyun-hyung told us how to deal with Ji-hyung. I just wasn't thinking."

"I was in the room too, Seungri. It wasn't all you."

The maknae looked up at him.

"He's eating now. He's okay."

Daesung assured his younger brother.

Sarungri nodded and stood up quickly.

"Thanks, hyung. I'm sorry about this."

Daesung smiled.

"Don't apologize. As I said before, it's not your fault."

Once Seungri gathered himself they both returned to the living room to see Jiyong quietly eating the piece of toast that was given to him earlier. Ai was lying across his lap, taking care of the crumbs that fell down onto his shirt. He glanced up at his younger brothers and smiled softly as he chewed.

It was adorable.

The little rapper finished the last of the crust and swallowed the bread slowly, closing his eyes at the sensation of having solid food in his throat again.

"Drink some water, hyung. It will feel nice."

Seungri suggested.

His leader did so and savored the feeling of the cool liquid. After a few moments of watching his feline friend stretch on his lap, clearly getting ready to rest, he too yawned. He wasn't asleep more than twenty minutes the last time.

"Are you tired, hyung?"

Their leader hesitated, but then eventually nodded.

"I-I would... l-like to... sleep now."

Seungri felt his chest warm up.

"Great!"

He immediately approached his big brother.

"I'll take you to your room."

Jiyong instantly flinched and pressed back into the couch.

"N-No!"

This startled the maknae to stop in his tracks. Seeing this, Jiyong shrunk in the chair and looked down.

"P-Please let me sleep here."

Daesung and Seungri exchanged a concerned look.

"Okay, hyung. Sure."

The older singer reassured his leader.

The rapper nodded and smiled slightly before curling up beside Ai and drifting off to sleep.

"Why wouldn't he want to go into his room?"

Seungri asked.

"I don't know. We'll mention it to the others when they get here."

With that, the two singers tidied up the living room and enjoyed some coffee together, constantly checking up on their sleeping brother, as they waited for Seunghyun and Taeyang to return.

 

\--

 

The two hyungs arrived in the evening to see Jiyong asleep on the couch with Ai and Seungri and Daesung sitting at the kitchen counter.

"Hey, guys."

The oldest member greeted them as he shut the door behind him. Taeyang immediately inspected their leader's sleeping form.

"How is he?"

Seungri stood and came closer to allow him to speak quieter so he wouldn't wake Jiyong.

"He's doing well. He even managed to eat some toast."

Taeyang looked at the maknae in surprise.

"Really? Nice job."

"Then he said he was tired and wanted to sleep."

Seunghyun became curious.

"He 'wanted' to sleep?"

Seungri turned to his brother.

"Yeah. I told him that whenever he wanted anything he should ask for it. It seems to have gotten through to him."

Seunghyun nodded and looked back at the unconscious rapper.

"One thing we should mention."

Daesung began causing his older brothers to turn to their younger brothers.

"When he told us he was tired, Seungri went to bring him to his room and he became panicked."

"He was terrified."

The maknae added.

"He probably doesn't want to be left alone."

Taeyang surmised, moving towards his best friend and kneeling down to his level.

"Thanks, guys. You're probably tired yourselves."

"Yeah, hyung. We'll come back tomorrow to check on him before his parents arrive."

"Okay. See you then."

Seungri and Daesung left to get some much needed rest. 

Seunghyun joined Taeyang in front of their sleeping leader and unconsciously started petting Ai without looking at the cat.

"He's so cute when he sleeps."

"I know."

Taeyang smiled and brushed his fingers gently along his little brother's hair, mimicking the older rapper's movements.

Seunghyun stood slowly.

"I'll bring him into his room. If he sleeps on this couch the whole time he'll wake up with aching muscles."

Taeyang stood also.

"But hyung, you heard what Daesung said. He's scared to be alone."

"I'll stay with him."

The oldest member assured the singer who nodded in return. Seunghyun gently picked up the wafer thin rapper and began to carry him into his bedroom causing Jiyong to stir a little.

"Shh shh, Jiyongie."

The older rapper whispered and placed the sleeping boy down onto his own bed. He didn't put the covers over his thin frame because the room was quite warm. And he wasn't about to undress his little brother without him being fully conscious and without his permission. 

So instead he just let him lie over the covers. Once Seunghyun seemed happy that Jiyong was comfortable he wiped his brow and let out a sigh. The heat from the room was getting to him so he turned around and removed his jacket, placing it on the end of the bed. He then loosened his tie and began to unfasten the top few buttons of his shirt. He stopped and turned around when he heard movement behind him.

Jiyong was watching him through half lidded eyes and holding a shaky hand up wearily.

"P-Please."

His voice was quiet. Almost a whisper. But Seunghyun could hear how it trembled.

"I don't w-want to."

He watched his little brother shake in fear below him.

"Ji, what-"

"You s-said to tell you what I-I... wanted... I don't w-want to... Please don't make me."

The smaller rapper started to drag himself across the bed until he got to the edge. Without hesitation he let himself fall onto the floor with a thud, making a tiny sound as he hit the surface.

"Jiyong!"

Seunghyun rushed down to the bedside and saw his little brother curled up in a ball and crying, trying to protect himself with his arms.

"Ji..."

The older member didn't know what to do. He moved to grab onto the younger boy, but stopped himself from completing the action. 

He didn't even know if Jiyong was fully awake or aware of what was happening.

"Jiyongie. Can you hear me?"

He heard a groan from his leader as he continued to tremble.

"Jiyong, listen to my voice."

As the little rapper did as he was told, he let the deep sound resonate in his ears.

"S-Seunghyun?"

"Yes, Jiyongie. It's me!"

After a moment, his leader removed his arms and looked up at his big brother from the floor. He let the familiar face of his hyung sink into his vision and closed his eyes once he knew he could relax. 

"Can you sit up for me?"

Jiyong took a moment before he opened his damp eyes again. Suddenly Seunghyun felt two hands in his own and the weak grip tighten slightly as his little brother attempted to pull himself up. The older rapper felt the struggle and pulled the smaller rapper up pretty much by himself. 

This left his leader sitting back against the side of the bed with his legs now on either side of his brother's kneeling form. 

Seunghyun noticed that he hadn't loosened his delicate grip on his hands. 

Jiyong looked at him through heavy eyelids.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought you w-were..."

He closed his eyes again and let out a long breath. 

"I thought..."

Then the exhausted rapper let his head fall back and rest against the bed and he was once again asleep.

It took a few seconds for Seunghyun to process what had just happened. As he did, he sat back on the floor, not letting go of his brother's hands. 

He began to replay what his distraught leader was saying.

'I don't want to.'

'Please don't make me.'

His little brother had half woken up on a bed to see a man with his back to him removing his jacket and tie and unbuttoning his shirt. 

Then realization hit him like a train.

"Oh, Jiyong."

He said to himself as he gently placed his palm against the unconscious boy's cheek. He felt tears form in his eyes

"I'm so sorry."

He took both hands in his own again and brought them up to his own forehead.

Then he cried.


	7. Scars

Taeyang finished the coffee he made for himself and looked at his watch.

"Nine pm."

He said to himself. He jumped down from the counter stool and made his way to Jiyong's bedroom. He quietly opened the door and peeped his head in. Once he saw the position that the two rappers were in he approached them and crouched down.

Seunghyun was still holding his leader's hands who himself was still asleep with his head lying back on the bed. He didn't look comfortable at all, but Jiyong was very flexible so maybe it was for him.

The oldest member had his shoulders slumped and head hanging down with his eyes closed. His cheeks were damp so Taeyang could tell he had been crying.

"Hyung?"

The singer spoke softly.

After a moment Seunghyun opened his eyes and moved his gaze sadly to the smaller singer.

"What happened?"

The rapper blinked slowly and thought for a moment.

"It's so much worse than we thought, Youngbae."

Taeyang glanced to his leader before furrowing his brow.

"What do you mean?"

Seunghyun didn't quite know how to phrase what he was about to say.

"Jiyong wasn't just... beaten. He..."

He closed his eyes again and took a moment. Taeyang didn't say anything, he just listened.

"I can't even say it."

"Hyung, please."

Taeyang needed to know. Seunghyun looked at the sleeping man's adorable face.

"The reason he's scared to come in here isn't because he'll be alone... It's because he's afraid of the bed."

He looked back at the singer, hoping he understood. It took him a minute, but Taeyang eventually caught on. He opened his mouth slightly in realization before looking back at his best friend.

"No..."

"He was so afraid, Youngbae. It's like he was having a flashback."

The singer lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut.

Seunghyun felt the little hands in his own grip tighter, causing him to shift his gaze to their leader. Jiyong's head lulled forward and fell down to his chest. The movement caused him to straighten up and slowly open his eyes. He squinted before being able to make out his two older brothers. 

"Hey, sleepy head."

Seunghyun smiled at his little brother. Jiyong furrowed his brow and began to scan where he was.

"We're in your bedroom, Jiyongie."

The older rapper immediately felt the grip in his hands tighten even more.

"Shh, shh. It's okay."

He spoke softly to sooth his brother.

"You slept on the floor and I've been with you the whole time. You're safe."

Jiyong looked back between his brothers and cast his eyes down to his hands which still held onto his oldest member's. 

He didn't let go. 

"Jiyongie."

Taeyang placed his hand on the edge of the bed just beside Jiyong's shoulder. 

"Don't feel ashamed. Nothing that happened to you is your fault. Don't ever think that it is."

The smaller man closed his eyes and his bottom lip quivered.

"You can sleep in your bed when you're ready. If you want to sleep on the floor we'll be right beside you, okay?"

Seunghyun spoke warmly causing Jiyong to open his eyes slowly and nod.

"T-Thank you."

The older man smiled in return.

"Jiyong."

Taeyang said causing him to look at him.

"The last time you were cleaned was in the hospital. Do you think we can clean you now? Would that be okay?"

The smaller rapper gulped and shifted his gaze between his two brothers.

After a few moments he replied.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Taeyang repeated and stood up. Seunghyun stood up slowly while still holding Jiyong's delicate hands, pulling him up gently with him so that his leader was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"We'll wait outside the door while you undress, okay?"

Their leader nodded and they waited outside the door. 

Taeyang immediately let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shit, hyung. This is..."

"I know."

"I mean, how did it not show up in Doctor Park's examination?"

"Well, she did say that most of his physical injuries were older. Maybe he wasn't..."

He still couldn't say it.

"...close to when he came back to us. Maybe that's why it didn't show."

Taeyang thought about his older brother's answer. It sickened him to be even thinking about it at all.

"E-Excuse me."

A tiny voice came from behind them and they both turned back into their leader's room to find the little man sitting there with one sleeve hanging over his shoulder.

"I need help."

"Oh, sure Jiyongie."

They both entered the room again. Taeyang sat next to him on the bed and Seunghyun kneeled in front of him.

"Ji, We're gonna need to touch you, but we won't do that until we have your permission."

Their leader was confused.

"My permission?"

He didn't understand.

"Yeah. Remember in the hospital when I fed you the soup that Doctor Park made?"

Jiyong nodded down at him.

"That was because you let me. You gave me your permission."

The smaller man fidgeted on the bed.

"But I can't do that."

Both hyungs felt another piece of their hearts crumble.

"Of course you can, Jiyong. Nobody should be allowed do anything to you that you don't want them to."

Their leader's reaction showed how much he'd been taught over the last two years to believe that what Seunghyun just told him wasn't true.

"H-Hyung..."

"What is it, Jiyong?"

He hesitated for a minute.

"The last time I told s-somebody 'no' t-they broke my leg."

His older brothers were momentarily speechless. This was the first time that their brother was so direct about anything that happened to him over the past two years. 

"I- Jiyong, no matter what, we won't let anybody hurt you ever again."

"We promise."

Taeyang added from beside his little brother.

The smaller rapper sadly smiled.

"You have m-my permission."

"I'm sorry?"

"You can... touch me."

"Oh. Thank you, Ji."

Seunghyun temporarily forgot everything except for what his leader had been telling them just now.

"Okay. Let's get this shirt off."

Taeyang took the sleeve that Jiyong hadn't managed to free himself from and gently pulled it away, releasing the boy's arm. Seunghyun took hold of the hem of his little brother's shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing the oversized garment onto the bed.

The little man's thin upper body was exposed now for the first time since he had reappeared. But neither of his brothers wanted to make him self conscious so they continued on.

"Okay, next are your pants."

Seunghyun carefully reached for the waistband of Jiyong's pants, but stopped when he felt a weak grip on his wrist. The older man looked up to see his leader's eyes shut tight.

"Remember Ji, we won't hurt you."

He didn't try to move again until he felt the grip on his wrist loosen. Once he was satisfied that Jiyong was okay with it, he gently lowered the soft fabric of the smaller rapper's pants away from his legs. Taeyang took hold of the ends and gently slid them off, leaving him in his boxers. The familiar 'Inhale Exhale' tattoos were just about visible on their leader's thighs.

"Are you okay?"

Taeyang asked.

"Yes."

Jiyong replied simply, sitting still. He was clearly uncomfortable, but understood the necessity of undressing in this particular situation.

"You're doing great, Jiyongie. Now let's get you into the bathroom."

Seunghyun stood up and gently went to scoop Jiyong into his arms, but was stopped.

"I w-will try to walk."

Their leader's small voice was heard and he put a hand on each of his brother's shoulders to weakly pull himself up to stand. Seunghyun and Taeyang took his arms to steady him before letting go and letting him stand by himself.

He was shaky and unsteady, but he slowly made his way to the bathroom. He limped with each step. His brother's thought about the break that he told them he had suffered. His leg was obviously neglected and didn't get a chance to heal properly. 

Nevertheless, Jiyong managed to make it all the way into the bathroom and sit on the edge of the tub. It took him five minutes, but he did it. As he lowered onto the black surface he glanced up at his brother's and smiled.

"Great job, Jiyongie."

Taeyang praised him before beginning to fill the sink with warm water. The smaller man clutched the edge of the tub and let out a slow breath. The short walk had taken a lot out of him.

Seunghyun kneeled in front of his leader.

"Take it easy. Just sit for a minute."

A bead of sweat rolled down the smaller rapper's forehead as he nodded in reply. 

Taeyang made sure the water wasn't too hot and dipped a fresh cloth in to make it damp. He then sat down beside his best friend on the edge of the tub and held up the cloth.

"Can I touch your face?"

His leader nodded in reply. The singer pressed the warm cloth against the boy's neck. He lightly brought the soft material down along his jaw-line. The sensation caused Jiyong to close his eyes and relax into the feeling.

Seunghyun watched the little rapper's expression change as he savoured the soothing touch of his brother. It broke his heart to see such a simple action cause this reaction. Something Seunghyun did every morning made his little brother feel so good, as if it hadn't happened to him in two years. 

Jiyong had been starved of food, water and of a loving touch also. 

Taeyang worked meticulously to both clean his friend and also to not rub too hard. 

"Does that feel nice?"

Seunghyun asked softly.

"Yes."

Jiyong breathed out in almost a whisper.

Taeyang finished cleansing his leader's face by lightly tapping him on the his button nose with the cloth. The rapper opened his eyes and smiled as he watched the cloth get passed to his oldest brother. Seunghyun rinsed the cloth and returned to sit on the opposite side of the smaller man.

"Can I?"

He held out his hand. Jiyong looked down at the larger palm before placing his own hand on top. Seunghyun held the smaller rapper's arm out straight and ran the warm cloth up and down slowly. 

He stopped when he reached his leader's red raw wrist, pulling it up close to his face to take a closer look. Jiyong let him. Taeyang watched the stillness in his little brother's frame as if he was recalling.

"I was tied for m-most of the time."

The singer took in the red rings around both wrists and looked down to see the same red rings around his ankles also. There was also a more faint ring present around his leader's neck.

"Even when I was too weak to s-stand up. They left me tied..."

Seunghyun handed the cloth to Taeyang so he could start on Jiyong's other arm. 

The older rapper places his warm hand on his little brother's chest. He could feel his leader's shaky and shallow breaths. The warmth of his little body radiated through the older man. He began to trace his fingers along his brother's torso. He felt along his rib cage and over the 'Mind Control' ink at the way his bones protruded through his thin frame. He traced the scars that covered the boy's stomach and side. He moved his hand behind the smaller rapper and bright it down along his spine. Each vertebrae was scarily jutting out from his smooth skin. Lastly, his older brother felt the lashes that had formed into scars, spanning the entirety of Jiyong's back. It made the blood inside Seunghyun's veins begin to heat up.

Taeyang had observed his older brother exploring the younger man's upper body and was relieved that their leader hadn't pulled away. All of this while he himself was holding onto the little man's arm.

"You have... so many scars..."

Jiyong slowly nodded and took a moment.

"S-Some are from when I refused them... when I tried to f-fight back... But I wasn't able to... anymore w-when they..."

He finished his own sentence by holding up his wrists, indicating the restraint damage.

"Some are from w-when I-I tried to escape..."

He tapped his side with the back of his hand, indicating that the lashes on his back were his punishment for that particular incident.

"I came so close..."

His older brothers watched him recount that time in his head as he stared into space.

Seunghyun shot Taeyang a sad glance.

"Some a-are just from when they were bored..."

The oldest member gulped as his leader made eye contact with him.

"And s-some you can't see..."

The tall rapper moved his eyes up and down Jiyong's body once more. He already had so many terrible memories etched into his skin and it broke Seunghyun's heart to know that he had so many more burned inside his head.

"I'm so sorry, Jiyong. We didn't know what happened to you. Nobody saw you after-"

"P-Please, don't blame yourselves."

Their leader shifted his gaze to Taeyang.

"I s-still don't know how it happened s-so how could you?"

"Jiyongie."

His best friend began.

"Never be afraid to talk to us about anything that happened. And if we ever do anything that reminds you of anything they did to you, please tell us."

Jiyong nodded.

"I w-will."

\--

Both Taeyang and Seunghyun finished cleaning their broken leader. He told them that he was warm and just wanted to stay as he was in his boxers so they helped him into the living room and each sat on the couch, Jiyong in between both his older brothers.

They switched on the television and just sat together.

After a while, Taeyang felt a warmth in his hand and looked down to see his little brother's smaller hand in his own. He turned to see his leader lower his head onto the older rapper's shoulder. Seunghyun looked down expecting to see Jiyong asleep, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw his leader's eyelashes move as he blinked. He was awake and willingly in this position.

Seunghyun looked at Taeyang and smiled. The singer returned the smile and placed his other hand over his brother's, completely enveloping the small hand. 

Jiyong let out a quiet sigh, tightening his grip and adjusting his head to lean more weight into his oldest brother's body.

And they just sat like this.

Until whenever.


	8. Fighting

Over the next few days Jiyong's family were the ones taking care of him. His mother and father were thrilled to be able to hold their son's hand. His big sister sat next to him on the floor and they both played with Ai together.

He gradually fell into a regular sleeping pattern again. Even though he didn't sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, he would actively try at night time with everyone else instead of during the day. He still didn't sleep in his room so the couch became his new bed for the time being. 

He hadn't told his family about anything that had happened to him. He didn't want to hurt them by telling them how much he was hurting. He would tell them eventually, just not right now.

A new week came around and this time his four brothers decided to spend the day with him together as a group. 

"So, Ji-hyung. What do you want to do today?"

The maknae asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter. Seunghyun was leaning forward on the back of one of the armchairs calmly smiling and waiting for his leader to respond. Daesung was sitting beside Taeyang on the couch who had Jiyong sitting on the floor between his knees, hands resting lovingly on the little man's shoulders.

"Mmm... I don't really know."

"This is your day, Jiyongie. Whatever you want."

The oldest brother said warmly.

"I know!"

Everybody shifted their gaze to their youngest brother as he made his way to the stereo.

"It must be a while since you've heard any of our songs, hyung."

The little leader watched as his maknae switched on the machine and searched through the CD rack.

"I heard them in my head every time I was left alone."

Seunghyun exchanged a look with Daesung and smiled. Jiyong felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulders.

"This will help, Jiyongie."

He heard the voice from behind him. 

"Just think about being in the studio and up onstage. Nothing can touch us up there."

His best friend assured him.

Suddenly a familiar sound filled the room.

'Tteonaga'

Instantly, Jiyong's ears reacted. 

"This is..."

As he listened to the light piano he was instantly transported back in time. The beat kicked in and he felt his heart beat along to the rhythm.

His brother's reacted to their own song by bobbing their heads and tapping their feet, letting their leader take in the full song in silence.

Taeyang began to massage his little brother's shoulders and along the wings that decorated the back of his neck, doing his best to help him completely relax so he could get lost in the music.

Four minutes and sixteen seconds passed.

'You're my all. Say goodbye.'

Then there was silence for a few moments. 

"That's a good song."

Jiyong smiled up at Seungri. The maknae laughed.

"Of course it is, hyung. You wrote it!"

"Can you play more?"

"Sure!"

For the next two hours the five brother's music filled the room. With each note, each bar, each melody Jiyong felt his heart get warmer. He would get sporadic flashbacks to recording a particular lyric in the studio or when the chorus came in he would get an image of fireworks on a huge stage in front of thousands of people.

The members took turns at the stereo playing songs from different albums, even GD&TOP and GD's solo work. 

Seungri and Daesung danced energetically around the room to 'We Like 2 Party'. When 'Zutter' was played Seunghyun attempted to perform his ridiculous dance break. Taeyang lovingly sang along to 'Stay With Me.' All the while Jiyong was feeling the music and living the memories. 

He was happy.

At this stage they were just shuffling the songs. The next one came on.

'Put your hands in the air. How you feeling out there?'

"Ah!"

The maknae exclaimed once he realized the tune. He moved to the beat as the intro built up.

Taeyang felt his leader become still between his knees. He leaned forward to see that his little brother had his eyes shut tight. 

"Ji?"

Neither Seunghyun or Daesung had noticed because they were watching the maknae getting ready for the beat drop, doing his best to mimic GD X TAEYANG's dance moves in the MV.

'I am a Good Boy.'

Jiyong instantly covered his ears with his hands. 

The sharp movement caught the oldest brother's eye. Seunghyun straightened up when he saw his leader clearly distressed. Taeyang glanced up at his older brother.

"Seungri, turn it off!"

Daesung was alerted by the booming voice and saw what was going on beside him. He immediately ran over to the stereo and shut it off.

The still dancing maknae stopped his movements once the music abruptly ended. 

"What-"

He stopped himself once Daesung gave him a look and gestured towards the couch. The out of breath maknae saw Jiyong clinging to Taeyang's leg and Seunghyun kneeling down beside him.

"Jiyong? Ji, can you hear me?"

Seunghyun didn't touch his little brother as he could see he was clearly not there right now.

Their leader's breaths were fast and shallow. His grip on his best friend's leg was tight, his arms wrapped around his shin and his head pressed against his knee, holding on for dear life. 

Taeyang leaned down as close to the trembling rapper's face as possible.

"Jiyongie?"

After a moment their leader slowly opened his eyes, but kept his cloudy gaze fixed to the floor.

"T-That's what they called me w-when they..."

Taeyang looked up at Seunghyun and mouthed the words 'Good Boy.'

Their oldest brother put his hand over his forehead and brushed it through his hair, letting out a sad sigh. 

 

Seungri glanced at Daesung before making his way back to the stereo and opening the disc tray. He took out the CD and immediately snapped it in half. Angry tears fell from his eyes. 

Jiyong eventually loosened his grip on his older brother's leg and looked up.

"I'm sorry. It seems the bad memories are j-just as vivid as the good ones."

"Don't apologize, Ji-hyung."

Daesung looked down at him warmly.

Their leader leaned on Taeyang's knee so that he could stand up shakily. He began to limp into the kitchen. His brother's just watched in silence as this was the first time he had done anything without telling them beforehand or being told to. 

He came back a few seconds later with tape in his hand. He approached the maknae and reached down to take the two pieces of the CD his younger brother had broken. He held the tape in place between his knees and at the same time held the two halves of the disc in front of Seungri. 

The maknae took hold of the pieces, one in each hand. His small leader then began to wrap the tape along the edge of the break in the middle and kept going until they were stuck back together. Once he was satisfied he cutely stuck out his tongue and closed one eye to get a good look. 

"Thank you, Seungri. You made me happier than I thought I could be again."

The youngest brother felt like he could float into the sky in that moment.

"But please don't let my bad m-memories ruin our music for you."

Seungri looked at the 'repaired' disc he was still holding.

"It will take s-some time, but I will get over it."

Seunghyun frowned at that sentence. Jiyong shouldn't have to 'get over it.' The kind of abuse that Jiyong had suffered, in particular that which he was recalling just minutes previously, is something that is impossible to simply 'get over.' He then became incredibly sad.

The oldest member then left the room.

Jiyong turned into the silence and saw that his oldest brother wasn't there. He turned back to Seungri and smiled once more before he began to limp through the room and out into the hallway. 

He scanned the space and eventually he spotted some smoke through the balcony window. He made his way to the sliding door and, with some effort, opened it and stepped through.

Seunghyun was sitting in the cool air with a lit cigarette resting between his fingers. He was gazing out over the city view. His leader sat down beside him. He watched the older man's fixed expression for a moment. 

"Are you okay?"

The smaller man asked. His big brother turned to face him.

"Am I okay?"

The little rapper simply nodded, sitting on his hands.

"Always in leader mode..."

The older rapper trailed off causing Jiyong to cock his head to the side.

"I don't-"

"Jiyong, you shouldn't be asking if I'm okay."

Seunghyun spoke a little louder. The firmness in his tone caused the smaller man curl inwards. The older man kept his gaze over the city and took a drag from his cigarette.

"You were taken from us, abused in every way imaginable, starved, deprived of sleep, the ability to fucking speak... and you're asking me am I okay?"

He eventually brought his gaze to his little brother and immediately regretted what he just said. Jiyong was still sitting with his hands underneath his knees, but his head was hung low and his eyes were closed.

"God, Ji. I'm sorry. It's just-"

Seunghyun stubbed out his cigarette and sat forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Every time I see you flinch or- or struggle to get a sentence out... What happened just now... it makes me so angry and sad at the same time."

He peered up at his brother's baby face. His smooth cheeks and pouted lips, his button nose and feline eyes. They would no longer be able to support a smile without hiding darkness behind them.

"You're a beautiful person, Jiyongie, and I can't stand to see you like this."

The older man was finished speaking. He hung his head so that his chin almost touched his chest and clasped his hands together.

"You know, hyung. For every day that passed in that place... I thought of you and our members."

Seunghyun turned to watch his little brother speak.

"For every minute I was made stay awake, for every new bone that was broken... I thought that it would just give you more reasons to worry about me."

The leader blinked slowly.

"That's why, at the start, I fought back. And when that didn't work, I begged. And when that didn't work... I just... didn't do anything..."

His older brother saw his shoulders tense.

"Everything became so routine that as soon as the door opened I knew by whoever' shoes they were what was going to happen that day."

The smaller rapper was staring straight ahead, looking through the buildings in the distance. 

"Black Timberlands were the easiest to deal with. He would just mock me. Call me names. Sometimes he would slap me, but it was nothing I couldn't handle....

Seunghyun was disturbed at how his little brother was just speaking as if he was reading from a textbook. It was like as if he had shut off his emotions.

"Red Wings was more aggressive. He did most of the beating. Sometimes he would bring things with him; a bat or a pipe... but he mostly just used his fists..."

The oldest member watched how his leader's throat moved when he gulped.

"B-Black Vans... they were actually my shoes... At first he was the only one who was nice to me... He would always be there right after Red Wings left and would bandage m-my wounds..."

The little man's nose flared and eyes stung as he recalled the memory.

"Soon after... he stopped bandaging me and started..."

Seunghyun watched as his words trailed off, but his mind kept remembering. His leader heavily blinked a tear away and opened his eyes again.

"Then everything became blurry. I could no longer tell who it was or what sensation I was feeling. I c-couldn't move or see or... think..."

He turned to his big brother.

"I really tried, hyung. At the start. I tried so hard so that you wouldn't feel any pain... but it was just too much. I couldn't fight anymore..."

Seunghyun was speechless. Throughout Jiyong's whole ordeal he wasn't thinking about himself at all. He wasn't trying to shield himself because it hurt him, he was trying to shield himself because he knew it would hurt his members if he ever was able to return to them.

"Jiyong..."

After a heavy moment, his little brother smiled and stood up.

"We should go back inside."

Seunghyun automatically stood up as well, still not able to think clearly. He went to follow the smaller rapper, but stopped when the little body in front of him stopped with his back to him.

After a second of silence, Jiyong immediately spun around and clung to Seunghyun. The taller man instantly wrapped his arms around his baby brother and vowed to never let go. His leader gripped the fabric at the back of Seunghyun's shirt and cried into his big brother's chest.

Seunghyun immediately felt every part of Jiyong's body. It had been so long since he had been able to hold him close and just be in his space. 

As his leader sobbed into his body, Seunghyun rested his face in the crook of Jiyong's neck and began to whisper, tears falling from his own eyes now.

"Never stop fighting. You're safe now and we all love you."

He gripped his brother tighter.

"We will fight together."


	9. Delivery

"It's been three weeks since iconic star G-Dragon has reemerged after going missing over two years ago. Details of his whereabouts are still unclear, but police have been tirelessly investigating.  
The singer, real name Kwon Jiyong, has yet to give a statement as to where he was taken, but it is believed that he was kidnapped. Hospital reports from his initial examination showed numerous broken bones and scars as well as evidence of extreme malnutrition and lack of sleep. Fans and fellow peers in the music industry have been pouring support both online and outside the YG building. CEO Yang Hyunsuk has yet to comment. We will keep you updated as the case progresses."

Taeyang switched the television off and placed the remote on the coffee table. 

"Tirelessly investigating. It's been three weeks."

The singer muttered and rubbed his forehead.

The police were having trouble obtaining the CCTV from the night Jiyong was initially taken. The apartment security would usually delete footage over a year old so they had to contact the company to see if they could retrieve the files. 

In the meantime, they took the sign that had been around Jiyong's neck into evidence and were analysing the ink and handwriting. Other than that, they really didn't have anything else to go on until Jiyong was ready to talk.

"Give them time, hyung. They'll get what they need."

Daesung did his best to reassure his brother. Taeyang turned to him and nodded.

"I know, Dae. It's just hard to sit and wait."

Jiyong was sitting on the couch with his knees tucked into his chest and his chin resting on top. He just listened and gently rocked forwards and backwards.

"Have you heard from your parents, Ji-hyung?"

Seungri asked. The rapper cleared his throat.

"Yes, they are home now. Dami will visit next week."

"That's great."

The maknae replied and his leader nodded.

Seunghyun emerged from the kitchen and handed his little brother a glass of water.

"T-Thank you, hyung."

The little rapper drank the cool liquid slowly. Seunghyun figured that if his leader didn't have an appetite he should at least stay hydrated. 

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The members all looked at the door.

"Are we expecting?"

Daesung asked.

"Not that I know of."

Seunghyun answered and made his way to the door. He looked through the peephole.

"Hm."

He uttered before opening the door. It was one of the security men that they recognised. He was holding a package.

"Sorry to bother you, but this was just delivered. I made sure to bring it up myself."

The oldest member apprehensively took it.

"Do you know what it is?"

"We scanned it through. Detected nothing harmful."

"Okay, thanks Jae."

The security guard nodded and left. Seunghyun closed the door and brought the package in, setting it down on the table.

"It's addressed to you, Jiyong."

Their leader unfolded himself and moved closer to the parcel, reading his name that was written in marker. He glanced up at Seunghyun who returned his gaze.

"Jae took it from the courier and brought it up himself. It's clean."

After a moment, Jiyong hopped down from the couch and squatted in front of the table. Seunghyun moved around beside Taeyang to give his little leader some room.

The small rapper moved slowly to open the seal of the wrapping. He widened the opening and peered inside.

Immediately he dropped the package and stumbled backwards. 

"What is it, hyung?"

The maknae asked, but his leader scrambled to stand and ran out of the room.

Seunghyun grabbed the package and turned it upside down causing two black shoes to fall out. Black Vans with daisies painted on them.

Jiyong's Black Vans. 

"Shit."

Seunghyun muttered. 

"His shoes?"

Seungri was confused.

Their oldest brother turned to the others holding the left shoe.

"He was wearing these the night he was taken."

"Oh..."

Daesung examined the battered shoe.

"Yesterday he told me that he recognised his captors by their shoes. And one of them wore these. The one who- Well, the one who hurt him the most."

"Shit."

Taeyang exclaimed.

"We should give them to the police right away. Maybe they could help."

Seungri surmised. Seunghyun nodded.

"Right. If one of them wore these maybe there could be some evidence."

"They might even be able to trace back to the courier."

Daesung suggested.

"Nice work, guys."

Taeyang stood up swiftly.

"I'm gonna check on him."

The singer followed where his best friend had ran off to. He checked his bedroom, but he wasn't in there. He tried the bathroom too, but it was empty. He stopped in the hallway and turned to the big walk-in closet, pushing open the door and stepping inside.

There were so many clothes in that space. Things that the leader had worn to awards shows, fashion shoots and even during music videos. The singer continued in and eventually reached the back of the closet. He looked down.

There was Jiyong, curled in a ball underneath a row of coats. He looked tiny. Taeyang immediately sat down beside him.

He didn't say anything for a while.

"Seunghyun-hyung told us about it."

Jiyong let out a tired sigh, but didn't say anything.

"We're giving them to the police. Hopefully they can get something."

Still, his little brother didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned sideways and slowly fell into the singer. His head eventually rested in his best friend's lap.

Taeyang lovingly placed one hand on the little rapper's shoulder and with the other began to lightly brush his fingertips through Jiyong's soft hair. Like a child. He could feel the smaller man tremble, but he wasn't crying. 

"I just want to forget everything, Bae."

The older member looked down at his leader, frowning at how defeated he sounded.

"But I know I can't."

"Ji, you don't have to tell anybody about what happened."

The boy shifted in his lap so that he was lying on his back and facing up at him. Taeyang now rested his hand on his chest, the other still soothingly caressing his soft locks.

"Yes I do."

The singer just looked down at the beautiful face in his lap. 

"The media, the police, the fans..."

"Fuck the media."

Taeyang began.

"The police will come to you when they need you."

He reassured.

"And you know VIP's will support you no matter what."

Jiyong blinked slowly up at his best friend.

"Until whenever?"

"Until whenever."

Taeyang smiled. 

"So don't worry. You already took a big step by telling us and I'm proud of you, okay?"

Now Jiyong smiled.

"Okay."

With that, he moved to stand up and Taeyang followed. The smaller man glanced through the clothes that neatly decorated the closet. He reached out and felt the material of one of his multi-coloured coats.

"G-Dragon has been asleep for a long time."

He muttered.

Taeyang rested his arm around his best friend's shoulder. 

"How about we wake him up?"


	10. Erased

Seunghyun was sitting on the couch in Jiyong's living room. It was just after ten in the evening and the other man was asleep. He said he wanted to try to sleep in his own room and that if he was having trouble he'd come back out. So far not a peep so the older rapper let him be.

Just then, his phone rang. It was YG.

"Hello."

"Seunghyunnie, how are you?"

"I'm okay, hyung."

"And Jiyongie?"

"He's sleeping. In his room for the first time."

"Ah, that's great."

Seunghyun heard the smile in the older man's voice on the other end of the line. 

Then there was a silence.

"What is it, hyung?"

"I was on the phone to Detective Yu."

"Oh?"

Could there have been progress?

"It's good news, Seunghyun. They were able to finally get a hold of the CCTV from the night Jiyongie was taken. They couldn't tell me over the phone so they want us to come in."

The tall rapper straightened up.

"Us?"

"Yes. I thought you would want to come with me."

"Of course, hyung. Thank you."

"Okay. Would one of the guys be available to look after Jiyongie tonight?"

"Sure, I'll call Daesung and see if we can swap."

"Great, I'll pick you up in thirty minutes."

Seunghyun hung up the phone, stood up and headed into his leader's room.

He pushed open the door and smiled at what he saw. 

Jiyong was lying on the ground beside his bed, bundled up in pillows and blankets with Ai sleeping right next to him. He still wasn't ready to be in his bed, but he was taking baby steps.

The older man kneeled down beside his little brother and just admired his sleeping form for a moment. He was beautiful.

He rested a hand on his delicate shoulder and gently pulled him to face up.

"Jiyongie?"

The little man made a small groaning sound and brought his palm up to his forehead, sticking his bottom lip out as he was disturbed.

"Ji, I have to go out with YG hyung. I'm going to call Dae to come over. Is that okay?"

If Jiyong was able to fully concentrate he would ask where his brother was going, but he was still being gripped by sleep having been deprived of it for so long so that was his main priority.

With eyes still closed he began to playfully bat the older man away.

"I'll be fine. Let Dae rest."

"I can't leave you alone, Jiyongie."

The smaller rapper groggily tried to twist around, but his older brother held him gently.

"Hyung, I'm sleeping. Dae would just be bored. Really, I'll be fine."

Seunghyun took a moment to consider what his little brother wanted. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just go."

His baby brother turned to his side and curled into Ai, holding him close. And like that, he was asleep again. 

Seunghyun smiled and held his hand on Jiyong's head.

"Goodnight, my beloved dongsaeng."

 

\--

 

Seunghyun sat with YG in the police station waiting for Detective Yu.

"Was Daesung okay with coming over?"

The younger man hesitated.

"Uh, yeah, hyung. He didn't mind at all."

He hated the feeling of lying to his hyung, but he couldn't tell him that he had left Jiyong alone. Even saying that sentence in his head made him regret doing so, but he couldn't really say no to his little brother. And it made sense, it wasn't fair to just expect Daesung to be available. But Seunghyun knew that he would always be there when he was needed. They all would.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Detective Yu entered the small room and sat in front of both men.

"Not at all."

The detective placed his laptop and some folders on the table and rested his hands over them.

"So I told you over the phone that we were able to obtain the CCTV footage for Mr Kwon's building from the night of his disappearance."

They both nodded.

"I'm going to play that footage for you both now."

He opened his laptop and the familiar image of the hallway outside Jiyong's apartment came up. The detective pressed play.

After about a minute of nothing moving, Jiyong's door opened and Seunghyun saw Daesung, Seungri, Youngbae and finally himself stumble out and wave back to their leader who was standing in his doorway.

"We were celebrating his birthday together."

The rapper spoke as he watched the image. Eventually the four men disappeared down the corridor. Jiyong turned around and closed the door behind him. 

"At this stage it is not long after midnight."

Detective Yu explained. 

"If we fast forward eight minutes we will see..."

He did so and there was more movement on the screen. All of a sudden a figure appeared to be walking down the corridor. Seunghyun and YG leaned forward to try to get a closer look. The man had a mask over his mouth, but they could see his eyes clearly.

The older rapper gripped the edge of the table.

The man on the screen reached Jiyong's door and looked up and down the corridor before knocking. After a few moments the door opened and without any warning, the man took something from behind his back and lunged forward swinging it at Jiyong's head. Seunghyun watched his little brother collapse on to the floor of the corridor and saw him being picked up and effortlessly thrown over the large man's shoulder before being taken away down the hallway.

Then the footage stopped. 

Nobody said anything at first. 

YG looked at the younger man beside him and saw that his knuckles were white from gripping the table. He placed his hand on Seunghyun's arm lightly and turned to the detective.

"Why wasn't this footage used in the original investigation?"

"The twenty seven seconds that you just watched had been erased."

"Erased? How?"

Seunghyun could feel his chest become hotter.

"Somebody who works at the CCTV company with enough access could easily cut out a few seconds of footage."

"So you think that whoever took Jiyong works at that company?"

YG asked.

"I know they do."

The detective opened his folder and slid a photograph across the table. It showed a photograph of a man holding a package.

"Hey, that looks like the package that Jiyongie's shoes came in."

Seunghyun pointed at the picture.

"It is."

The next picture showed the same man outside the couriers office that made the delivery.

"This is the man that sent the shoes."

The detective placed another photograph beside that one. It was a still frame of the man from the CCTV footage that they had just watched. 

"It's the same man."

Seunghyun observed.

"Yes. This man."

Detective Yu placed one final pictures on top of the rest. The same man's employee identification photo, from the CCTV company.

"Jung Heonsu."

"So he's responsible..."

Seunghyun seethed.

"My men are on the way to him now."

YG let out a sigh and lifted his hat to run his hand through his hair.

"We will need Mr Kwon to come in and make a statement and identify Heonsu and any accomplices we apprehend."

Seunghyun knew that his leader would have to do that eventually, but he still didn't know if his little brother was ready.

"We'll talk to Jiyong, detective."

"Wait, how was he just able to walk into the apartment building? Security would have checked him, especially at that hour."

"Now that we have this new evidence we will be interviewing everyone that was on shift that night again; receptionist, security, even the cleaners. We have their original statements from two years ago so if any of their stories change we will be able to tell. Don't worry."

"Thank you for your hard work, detective."

The three men stood up and shook hands.

"Please take care gentlemen. I'll contact you over the next few days."

By the time Seunghyun and YG left the police station it was almost 3 am.

The younger man took out his phone and froze.

4 missed calls from Jiyong.

"Oh no..."

He spoke so quiet that luckily YG hyung didn't hear.

"Hyung, I'm going to head back to Ji's place."

He tried to sound as calm as possible.

"Are you sure? You should get some rest, Seunghyunnie."

"I'm sure, hyung. Seeing that footage. I just... I want to be with him."

YG nodded.

"I understand. It was tough to watch. Well, I can drop you off."

"No, no. It's okay hyung. I'll get a taxi."

Seunghyun insisted not purely out of politeness, but out of the need to hide his panic from the older man.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

As soon as YG was in his car, the rapper spun around and ran to get a taxi. 

That car ride was the most nerve wrecking of his life.

 

\--

 

Seunghyun pushed open his leader's front door and stepped inside. It was quiet. His heart was beating so hard as he made his way into the last place he had seen his little brother. 

The sheets and pillows were sprawled on the floor, but nothing else.

"Shit."

Seunghyun exclaimed quietly and searched through the hallway. He stopped when he heard a noise.

A meow.

He followed the sound to see Ai on the floor just outside the bathroom. He was scratching against the closed door. He looked up at the tall man and meowed, telling him that Jiyong was behind it.

Seunghyun stood outside the door and heard the noise of the shower. He looked down at Ai one more time. The little cat just looked back up at him with his big eyes.

He opened the door and entered the bathroom. Immediately his heart sank.

Jiyong was sitting under the falling water of the shower in his boxers. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and his head in his hands. Seunghyun could see how hard he was gripping his wet hair. He could also see how hard his little brother was shaking. He was crying. The older man finally looked down at the tiles to see Jiyong's phone. It was lying there as if his brother had given up and just let it get destroyed by the water.

"Jiyong!"

The booming voice caused the smaller, now saturated, rapper to look up from his knees. 

The sight was heartbreaking.

"M-Maybe I wasn't ready to be left a-alone, h-hyung."

Seunghyun was immediately next to him underneath the water. He grabbed his baby brother, not caring that he was getting soaked in the process, and held him as close as he could.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I a-asked you to."

"I know, but I should have known you weren't ready. I shouldn't have left you."

Seunghyun felt how the smaller boy shook so he reached up and turned off the cold water. 

"You're freezing, Ji."

"I stopped feeling."

The older rapper was sure that his heart was now down beside his feet.

"Come on. Let's get you warmed up."

He gently scooped up his baby brother and brought him into his bedroom. He placed the delicate leader down so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He grabbed some towels and began to rub the soft fabric over the still trembling boy's damp skin.

Jiyong just stared ahead and let himself get dried by his big brother.

"I had a nightmare. When I woke up I couldn't find you."

Seunghyun knew he wasn't trying to make him feel guilty at all. He was just telling him what happened.

"I just needed to be clean."

The older man knew instantly what the nightmare had been about. 

"He won't hurt you again. I promise you."

His little brother turned to look down at the older boy when he stopped drying him.

"I was at the police station, with YG hyung. That's where I went."

Jiyong furrowed his brow. 

"Detective Yu showed us the CCTV footage from that night."

The little rapper blinked slowly.

"They caught him, Ji."

The younger boy's mouth opened and his breath hitched.

His eyes then closed and he fell back on the bed.

He fainted.


	11. Golden Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the dark themes will begin - mentions of mental health, suicide and violence.

The police apprehended Jung Heonsu and, through him, four other accomplices. They were being detained until they could be positively by Jiyong.

So there he sat, in the car on his way to the station. He was nervous. 

"It's gonna be fine, Jiyong. Go at your own pace and take breaks if you need to."

Seunghyun spoke from beside his little brother. His leader nodded cutely and tangled his hands together in his lap.

"We're here."

Once the door opened the flashing immediately started. There were guards instantly surrounding the two rappers as they made their way into the police station. As soon as they were in the safety of indoors and away from the reporters Jiyong let out a sigh. 

They were greeted by Detective Yu and brought into a private room.

Jiyong had asked Seunghyun to be with him for this whole process because he didn't know if he would be able by himself.

So the little leader sat with his big brother right beside him in front of a camera and two people; Detective Yu and a lady with a laptop.

"This is our typographer, Ms Lee. She'll be recording what you're saying as well as the camera. At the end we'll ask you to read back over everything and sign off on it's accuracy. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

"I just need you to tell us what happened and I'll ask questions at different points along the way. If at any point you need to stop just let me know. It's absolutely no problem."

"T-Thank you."

The detective had been briefed on the condition of the smaller man and now seeing the effects; his frail voice, his shaking body, his gaze kept downwards, his emaciated frame, it saddened him. 

"Whenever you're ready, Mr Kwon. Please start from the night you were taken. From the beginning,"

Seunghyun watched his baby brother swallow hard as he made his brain rewind back two years ago.

"It was my birthday. The members came over to celebrate with me."

"Can you please specify who was with you?"

"Uh, Seunghyun-hyung, Youngbae-hyung, Daesung and Seungri."

"Okay. Please continue."

"Well, we were eating and drinking and just spending time together."

Seunghyun could see a slight smile form in his brother's lips as he recalled how that night had started off.

"Then at about half past midnight we said goodnight and they left."

He held his hands together in his lap under the table. 

"I-I started to tidy everything. I didn't want to leave it overnight."

He paused for a moment.

"Then I heard a knock. I thought maybe one of them had left something behind so I answered the door right away."

He didn't say anything for a moment. 

"I-I saw... a tall, dark figure for just a moment. And then... that was it. T-That's the last thing I remember before I w-was... Well, before I was gone."

The little leader leaned back in his chair and let out a breath.

Seunghyun saw his moist forehead and the edges of his hair becoming damp. 

"That matches with what the CCTV footage shows as happening. Mr Kwon, you were hit on the head and removed from the apartment building at 00:38am."

Jiyong didn't say anything.

"What's the next thing you remember?"

The smaller man cleared his throat quietly.

"I woke up on the floor. It was c-cold..."

\--

The room was bare. Concrete walls, one window high up with a mattress in the corner of the room. That was it. 

Jiyong sat up slowly, still in his black suit, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ow."

He muttered to himself as he stood up and turned to fully take in the room. He walked to the door and sure enough it was locked.

Wen he was completely sure that the metal wouldn't open he returned to the centre of the room and spotted the window. The flexible young man managed to jump up and grab hold of the ledge, but on closer inspection, the opening was too small even for a tiny person like him to fit through.

He let out a noise of frustration before dropping himself back down. He placed his hands on his hips and let out a frustrated sigh.

Just then, the metal door banged and swung open violently. The sudden noise startled the rapper, but he didn't move.

The tall figure from before stepped through.

"Ah, you're awake!"

Jiyong narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Who are you? Why am I here?"

The man stepped further into the cold room and closed the door behind him. Jiyong still didn't move.

"Who am I? Well, the only thing you really need to know about me is that from now on-"

He took another step forward.

"-I'll be one of the only few faces you will be seeing for a long time."

"What?"

The figure kept taking slow steps towards the smaller man.

"For how long? Well that really depends on you. And as for why you're here..."

The man was now about a foot away from Jiyong, towering over him. 

"That will be made clear to you in due time."

Jiyong could feel his chest heat up as anger consumed him. He looked directly up at the looming figure. 

"You break into my home. You hit me over the head and drag me to... wherever the hell this is. The least you could do is-"

He was interrupted by a hard fist buried in his abdomen, causing him to drop to his knee and clutch his stomach. He coughed as he struggled to find his breath.

"I see this is going to go pretty much how I expected."

The voice from above him spoke. All of a sudden he felt his collar being yanked up and was met to face the larger man just inches from his own.

"You think your entitled to an explanation? You're not entitled to anything, boy."

Jiyong was doing his best to even out his breathing, but was finding it increasingly difficult the more scared this man was making him. 

All of a sudden the door opened and four more people entered the room and stood just behind the man who was still roughly gripping Jiyong.

"We're going to break you, little boy. Mind, body and spirit."

The rapper scanned the four other people. Three men and a woman.

"W-Why?"

The man let out a short laugh.

"Because maybe then people will give a damn about those who need help."

Jiyong was having a hard time understanding and it showed on his face. The man dropped the smaller boy to the ground and stood up beside the others.

"Meet my friends."

He gestured to the people who also towered over the young rapper.

"Each of them knew somebody who was struggling. Struggling and not able to tell anybody about it until it was too late."

Jiyong was trying to absorb everything he was being told.

"So, if we break 'The Golden Boy' then how can they continue to turn a blind eye, huh?"

Jiyong gulped and tried to find the words to form his next few sentences.

"L-Look, I'm sorry that you lost people that you loved, but it's got nothing to do with me. I understand what you want, b-but this isn't the right way."

Nobody said anything in response to the boy. The silence frustrated him.

"And you aren't the only ones who are affected, you know. You're crazy if you think-"

He knew as soon as the words left his lips that he shouldn't have said that. But it only became clear to him when he felt himself being hauled off of his feet and launched back against the wall, pressed against the cold concrete by a tight grip around his neck.

Once his mind stopped spinning he saw that it was a different man who was now attacking him.

"Don't you fucking dare, you spoilt little brat. You have no idea what it's like to deal with..."

Jiyong wanted to tell the angry man that he really did, but his air was being painfully cut off. The man came right up to the rapper's ear.

"...but you will."

He whispered before winding his arm back and punching the smaller man in his temple, sending him straight to the ground. The irate man placed his hands against the wall and kicked Jiyong in the stomach. The younger man curled in on himself from the harsh impact while his head was still reeling from the blow to his head. The kicks kept coming as the man seemed to be getting angrier. He then felt himself being grabbed by his black suit jacket before hearing a scuffle above him. His button snapped and the jacket was yanked off of him, sending him back to the ground.

He groaned and held his abdomen tight, curling in against the wall.

"That's enough!"

Two of the others pulled the angry man back and away from Jiyong. The voices seemed to become quieter before they faded away. 

The little rapper turned onto his back and let out a sigh.

He felt a presence above him and a gentle touch against his forehead before the it disappeared and the door closed. He followed the noise, his head now facing the door.

Then he let his eyes close.

\--

Jiyong lay his forehead on the table and let out a long breath. Seunghyun placed his hand on his little brother's back and rubbed his warm body.

"Well done, Jiyongie."

Detective Yu turned to Ms Lee.

"We'll take a break now and I'll get some coffee."

The detective came around and kneeled in front of the small rapper.

"You're doing great, Mr Kwon. You're doing great."

Jiyong smiled shyly at the detective before he and the typographer left the room. 

Instantly Seunghyun felt the warm body of his little brother lean into him. He wrapped his arms around the boy.

It was going to be a long day.


	12. Therapy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark themes. Please be advised.

The second time Jiyong woke up in that cold room he was alone once again. As soon as his eyes opened he could feel pain. His head was swimming, making the process of sitting up ten times more difficult. 

"Ugh."

As soon as he was upright an intense pain shot through his body. He scooted back to lean against the wall and began to unbutton his white shirt. He looked down at his abdomen and cringed at the dark, angry looking bruises that decorated his stomach and sides.

"Damn."

The rapper muttered and leaned his head back slowly to rest against the concrete wall. He let his hands sit on his thighs. 

He took a moment to think about his situation. So he was taken here by these five people. Each of them had apparently been affected by mental illness through somebody that they knew and he was brought here to somehow become an example for them? It was hard to make sense of anything in his scrambled up head.

Suddenly the door unlocked and creaked open. The man who had been doing most of the talking entered.

Jiyong figured that they weren't going to tell him their names so he decided that since he was the first one that he had been in contact with, he would call him Hana, 'one'.

Hana stepped further into the room.

"L-Look, you don't have to keep me here."

The man stopped and just looked down at the small rapper.

"I'll go on tv and raise awareness for you. For everyone. Please, y-you don't have to do this..."

"You and I both know that's not going to happen. YG or SM or any other company will just bury whatever you tell them and it will be a waste. No-"

Hana kneeled down to Jiyong's level.

"It took a lot of time and effort to get you here and now that we have you, we're going to make full use of you."

That last sentence shook Jiyong's core.

The man just smiled at him before catching a glimpse of his bruised skin. He reached his hand towards Jiyong's shirt only to have it batted away.

"Don't touch me."

The smaller man warned only to be met with the harsh impact of the back of Hana's hand.

"You're free will was left behind in your apartment, little boy."

Jiyong turned back towards the menacing man with hate in his eyes. His breathing picked up as he watched him reach back for the shirt and hold it open to survey the damage.

"Ouch. My friend really went to town on you back there."

He dropped the fabric and returned his gaze to the little rapper.

"You should know, his wife took her own life after dealing with years of depression."

He looked back down at the bruises.

"She was too ashamed to see a doctor, so..." 

He trailed off. 

"Anger is how he deals with it. And now that you're here, it's perfect for him."

Jiyong didn't say anything. He just blinked back at the man and gulped.

"Speaking of which..."

He looked down at his watch and stood up.

"He should be along any minute."

Jiyong had a sinking feeling in his battered stomach.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

Hana called before the door opened and the large man from before came bounding in.

Jiyong decided to call him Dul, 'two.'

The small man frowned when he saw that Dul was holding a baseball bat and dragging it along the ground behind him.

"I'll leave you two alone."

Hana smiled and patted Dul's shoulder before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

The looming figure came right up to the little man. Jiyong pressed his back into the wall, trying to get as far away from the man as possible. 

Dul raised the bat and rested it underneath Jiyong's chin. He lifted the smaller man's face with his weapon so that their eyes met.

"Welcome to your first day of therapy, boy."

And then there was only pain.

 

\--

 

The door closed, leaving him alone once again. He was still conscious, but barely. His body had just been brutalised for two straight hours. Dul had a lot of pent up anger that he had just taken out on the poor boy. 

So there he lay, thrown onto the mattress in the corner of the room. Blood now stained his once pristine white shirt and he was pretty sure his arm and at least a rib was broken. 

He trembled on the uncomfortable surface. Partly from the cool air coming through the window, but mostly it was just his body reacting to having just been mercilessly beaten.

He heard a noise from behind him. It was the door. He closed his eyes as dread filled his battered body. He could feel a presence get closer and eventually he heard the footsteps stop right behind him.

He felt a soft touch on his shoulder which caused him to flinch. 

"Shh, shh. It's okay, baby boy."

The voice was whispered and gentle. The grip on his shoulder pulled him so that he was eventually lying on his back, facing up at the figure. 

Set, three.' He had a soft face. Almost like you could trust him, but Jiyong knew better. The beaten man was about to try to turn away from him, but he felt a warm touch against his face. Set caressed the smaller man's cheek and moved his eyes to take in Jiyong's entire face, every angle and feature, decorated with crimson.

"You really are beautiful. Do you know that?"

Jiyong was frozen. He didn't know how to respond. He just stared back up at the man, almost too afraid to breathe.

After a few moments of silence, Set eventually slowly stood up and smiled down at him.

"I'll be back to take a closer look, baby boy."

Without another word, the snake-like man turned and left.

Jiyong felt a shiver down his spine. That man terrified him more than the thoughts of Dul returning with his bat. 

\--

He was left alone again for a few hours before the familiar sound of the door opening filled the room. 

He didn't turn around when he heard broad footsteps enter. He just lay there facing the wall. His heavy eyes remained open, but he was exhausted.

"Stand up."

He didn't move.

The footsteps came closer.

"I said stand up."

Still no movement even at the now raised voice.

"Boy, stand the fuck up right now!"

"Leave me alone."

His voice was small and shaky, but he meant what he said. 

It only took about four strides before he felt himself being roughly hauled up and manhandled across the room. He was spun around and pushed down onto his stomach before his hands were harshly pulled behind his back and tied together. The large hands picked him up again and lifted him up onto his knees. He felt his hands being pulled up and hooked behind him, leaving his arms stretched at a painful angle and shoulders completely strained.

The awkward position his body was now in made it nearly impossible to look up past the man's knees, but he could tell from his shoes that it was Hana.

"You need to understand, little boy. You're here for one reason and one reason only. To be broken down until nothing is left."

Hana kneeled down so that he could look up into Jiyong's eyes. 

"The more you fight, the more you refuse and the more you backtalk the worse it will feel."

The large man stood up again, out of the smaller man's line of sight.

"What's going to happen is going to happen. So just let it, little boy."

All of a sudden, Jiyong felt ice cold water being poured over his body and what remained of his shirt being roughly pulled away from him. His black Vans were ripped from his feet, leaving him in only his black suit pants. 

"It's going be a cold night. I'd wrap up."

He felt a pat on his soaked head.

"See you in the morning, boy."

Hana left the room, leaving Jiyong coated in ice water as the cold night air seeped in from the open window above him and clung to his bare skin.

His arms ached and his body trembled.

"P-Please, somebody h-help me..."

\--

 

"They left me like that all night, every night for what felt like weeks. I wouldn't be able to sleep for more than a few minutes."

"I see."

Detective Yu nodded sadly.

"And Mr Kwon, you said you were able to see their faces when you were first introduced."

"Y-Yes, but... soon after they wouldn't let me l-look at them. I slowly began to forget what they looked like, s-so I began to tell them apart by t-their shoes."

Seunghyun watched his little brother think back.

\--

He didn't know how much time had passed. He would have guessed about six months if he was asked. 

By this stage, Jiyong's body was thin and weak. He wasn't fed nearly enough and he was rarely allowed to stand. 

So there he sat, in the middle of the floor with his head hung low.

The door creakily opened and out of instinct he glanced up before suddenly remembering that he wasn't supposed to do that. He was hoping that they didn't notice, but it was too late.

"We've been through this, boy. Keep your eyes down!"

He was smacked hard, whipping his head to the side. When he saw that the man had raised his arm to hit him again, Jiyong slowly raised his own to try to defend himself.

The hit never came. There was a moment of silence.

"You know what? I'm getting pretty tired of you constantly making things difficult. From now on..."

Jiyong was pushed to the ground and felt his hands being tied behind him tightly. He glanced at the person's feet when he was dismounted and saw the familiar brown boots.

It was Hana.

He was grabbed and hauled up so that he was kneeling. He kept his head down.

Hana kneeled down and tried to make eye contact with the smaller man, but Jiyong only reacted by keeping his gaze down and head low. The bigger man began to lightly slap the rapper in the face and seeing that the younger wasn't flinching, he smiled.

"Adda boy."

Just then, Hana stood up and left the room only to return a few moments later with a wooden chair. He placed it in front of the kneeling boy.

"Sit."

Jiyong glanced at the chair in front of him before he shakily moved to stand up, proving extra difficult not being able to use his arms from balance. He managed to make his way to the front of the chair. Hana pushed him down onto it and secured his hands to the back of the wooden seat.

"He's all yours."

He heard Hana say before leaving the room. The steps that he heard coming closer were smaller and lighter.

It was Net, 'four,' the only woman in the group. 

Usually when he felt her presence he was able to relax a little because she didn't ever harm him. 

He saw a chair being placed in front of him as she sat down. 

"Hello, child."

Her voice was a little bit deeper, like that of an older woman. Probably a similar age to his mother. 

"You can talk to me, you know."

He hesitated.

"H-Hello."

Jiyong had learned that the woman had a gay son and that he was struggling so much that he was admitted into a hospital. He actually felt a little bit bad for her.

"I'm going to cut your hair now."

Without another word he heard the snipping of the scissors and watched little pieces of his black hair fall in front of his eyes. 

Eventually he closed his eyes and just breathed in and out, savouring this moment as it was one of the only times lately that he wasn't being hurt. 

After a while the woman set down the scissors and Jiyong suddenly felt a sensation against his cheek. 

She was shaving his face. She was being so gentle and smooth causing Jiyong to let out a sigh. 

The movement stopped and there was silence.

"Look at me, child."

Jiyong slowly opened his eyes and saw the woman's weary face staring back at him. She looked sad.

"You remind me so much of my son."

She brought up her hand and brushed it gently through his freshly cut hair. 

"I-I'm sorry."

He spoke almost in a whisper, causing the woman to cast her gaze along the boy's body. At this stage, his bones were jutting out through his skin and had healed awkwardly. Every day there were fresh bruises to cover the old ones.

"You know little one, I really thought this would help, but seeing you in front of me..."

After surveying his broken body she gathered her things and stood up.

"Just hold on, child."

The woman turned and left the room.

 

\--

 

"She was the only one who was kind to me."

"Mr Kwon, the man you knew as Set, you mentioned him only once. Did you see him again after that?"

Seunghyun saw his little brother ball his hands into fists.

"T-That night..."

 

\--

 

Jiyong was thrown back onto the mattress not long after Net had cut his hair. His hands were left tied behind his back and that's how he imagined they would be staying from now on.

It was dark for a good while so he guessed it was some time after midnight.

Would they actually let him sleep tonight? Or would somebody burst in at any moment and douse freezing water on him again or shine a torch in his face or play his own music at a deafening volume?

They had done one of these every night since they stopped leaving him tied to the hook.

Unfortunately, he would not sleep uninterrupted tonight either as he heard the door open. He opened his eyes and saw a familiar sight. 

His own black Vans. The reason he knew they were his was because of the daisy he had painted on both of them. 

The door was closed quietly and the footsteps stopped right in front of his face. 

"Hey, baby boy."

It was Set. He instantly recognised that hushed voice. It caused that feeling of pure dread to creep back up into his stomach. 

Jiyong didn't move.

"Look at you. Your hair... your face..."

He felt a warm hand roam the soft strands of his hair before grazing his cheek. Jiyong did his best to pull away.

"Aren't you going to say hi?"

After a moment, Jiyong shakily did so.

"H-Hi..."

"Good boy."

All of a sudden he felt a weight on his lap as he was mounted.

The boy tensed and tried to get as far away from the man as he could, but his hands being tied so tightly behind him left him completely helpless.

He then felt his belt being unbuckled.

"P-Please don't..."

He was silenced by a finger being placed over his lips.

"Shh, shh, shh."

He closed his eyes and felt the tears fall down his cheeks.

"That's a good boy."

\--

Jiyong held his head in his hands and openly wept.

Detective Yu stood and gestured for Ms Lee to follow before giving Seunghyun a nod and leaving the room.

The older man held his baby brother as tight as he could and let him cry into his chest.

"You're okay, Jiyongie. You're safe now. I'm right here. I'm right here."

The bundle in his arms shook and sobbed.

In that moment, Seunghyun felt like running to whichever room they were keeping those bastards and killing each and every one of them. 

When he felt his little brother pulling away he kept hold of his shoulders and looked into his sad eyes.

"You're being so brave and I want you to know how proud of you I am."

He handed Jiyong a tissue to wipe his eyes.

"T-Thank you, hyung."

"Do you want to continue this tomorrow? We don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

Jiyong wiped the last of his tears away.

"No, it's okay. I c-can keep going. Not too much more of it is clear to me anyway..."

Seunghyun nodded and took his brother's hand.


	13. Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last flashback chapter.

He lost count of the days. The only way he could even guess what time it was was from the light that shone through the window. And even then he began to lose the will to even look up.

So there he was, perched in the corner of the room in nothing but his boxers. That's all they left him with from the moment Set initially took his suit pants from him. 

His knees were pulled up to his chest and he shivered uncontrollably. At this point, it wasn't even from the cold, his body was just accustomed to the movements.

The door burst open.

"Surprise!"

He jolted at the sudden intrusion as he saw four people enter the dark, cold room.

Hana was the first in and Jiyong could make out that he was holding something.

"Happy Birthday!"

Three more people followed him in and when they couldn't see the shaking man they spun around.

"Where is he?"

Jiyong was actually huddled in the corner that met the same wall as the door.

"Ah, there's the birthday boy."

Dul approached the little man and grabbed his ankle. Jiyong groaned as he was pulled to the centre of the room and placed in front of Hana.

"We got you something, little boy."

He kept his eyes down at the ground as he kneeled in front of them.

"Well, don't you want to see?"

He took this as permission and slowly looked up to see a birthday cake with lit candles sticking out from it. 

He shifted his gaze further up to see the faces of Hana, Dul, Set and Net. They were each wearing party hats except for Net who had hers held in her hand and was looking down sadly. 

"Happy Birthday!"

Jiyong blinked up at them through heavy eyes.

"But you know what that also means?"

He didn't answer.

"Speak up, boy."

Dul insisted.

"N-No."

"Happy one year anniversary!"

Jiyong's mouth opened slightly.

It had been a year...

"I know right! Time flies when you're having fun, eh?"

The rapper felt sick.

"Here."

The cake was lowered in front of his face.

"Make a wish."

Jiyong didn't respond, he just looked through the flames of the candles at the man holding the cake. 

"Make. A. Fucking. Wish."

The smaller man closed his eyes at the threat and made his wish in his head. He opened his eyes again and weakly blew out the candles after a few failed attempts.

He wished he could go home.

Hana placed the cake on the ground as Dul and Set clapped and cheered mockingly. Net just watched the boy on the floor close his eyes sadly.

"This is your present, birthday boy. Enjoy it!"

He then stood up and left the room, followed by the others, leaving Jiyong with the cake. 

He stared down at it and let his mind take him back to that time last year when he was with his brother's celebrating in his nice, warm apartment.

How did it get like this?

He stared at the cake and didn't feel anything. He pushed it away and just lied down on the floor, curling in on himself. He held himself close and imagined he was in his brother's embrace. He took in a shaky breath and let it out in a long sigh.

About five minutes passed before the door shot open again and a head peaked in.

"I couldn't wait to see your reaction! How does it tas-"

Hana saw the boy curled up on the ground and the untouched cake a few feet from him. He squeezed the door handle in anger.

"You ungrateful little..."

Jiyong didn't even try to beg or lie to him that he was grateful and just wasn't hungry. He wasn't grateful at all and he was exhausted so he just remained on the cold ground and waited for the man to make the next move.

And make the next move he did. Jiyong was suddenly pushed over and Hana got on top of him.

"I spent a lot of time picking out that cake out, you spoilt little brat."

He grabbed a fistful of the boy's hair and punched him hard in the face. 

"It's all about you, isn't it?"

Jiyong's head snapped to the opposite side as he was struck again.

Then there was a pause.

"You know what? It's our anniversary as much as it is yours."

Jiyong slowly turned his head up again, fresh blood now dripping from his nose and lip.

"I think we deserve some presents too!"

The weight disappeared from the emaciated man and he just lay there, head throbbing. 

After a few moments he saw another familiar face looking down at him.

It was Dul. He was smiling.

"Boss said we each get one hour with you... uninterrupted."

Jiyong gulped and closed his eyes as he was hauled off his feet and beaten within an inch of his life.

\--

Set snaked into the room after Dul had left and saw how he had left the boy. 

Jiyong was lying in a pool of blood on the mattress, not moving. Set had to get right next to him to make sure he was still breathing.

He was.

The disturbed man kneeled there for a moment and thought. He had some serious issues and hadn't spoken about them to anybody. He very rarely spoke at all. 

He sat there for a few moments before he nodded to himself, almost like he was giving himself permission.

He slowly reached forward and pulled the crippled body towards him so that Jiyong was lying on his back. Bruises and blood covered his emaciated frame and Set just smiled down at the unconscious boy before moving closer.

 

\--

 

It was Net's turn. She slowly opened the door. She knew Set was sadistic and dreaded the sight of what she was about to discover.

She closed the door behind her and moved closer to the mattress in the corner. She carried a bag with her knowing she'd need the contents inside.

As she got closer to the corner her heart crumbled more and more. She eventually kneeled down and covered her mouth with her hand and gasped.

The boy was unconscious. Arms tied above his head tightly and legs tied to each corner of the mattress frame just as tight. Bruises covered his torso and face. She knew that Dul was the one who inflicted those ones. Those ones weren't the ones that worried her right now. Fresh bruises wrapped around his neck and she trailed her eyes down to his thin waist and some more freshly darkened skin. His boxers weren't even pulled up properly, exposing his protruding hip bone and finger-shaped bruises, so she pulled up the fabric the rest of the way for him. The touch caused the boy to flinch and groan as he started to come around. 

She saw as he shut his eyes tight and watched his chest rise up and down quickly as he began to panic.

"Oh, you poor baby..."

She reached into her bag and took out a soft cloth and a basin. She filled the basin with water from a thermos and moistened the cloth. She gently placed the damp fabric on Jiyong's forehead and held it there.

"It's okay, child. It's okay."

She whispered in a calm and soothing voice despite feeling tears form in her own eyes.

Hearing the familiar deep tone Jiyong slowly turned his head and opened his tired eyes.

Seeing the frightened orbs peak through, she did her best to warmly smile down at the boy. She found it difficult when she could tell how defeated he was just from the look he was giving her.

"I'm going to clean your wounds, baby. I'll do my best not to hurt you. You're okay, sweetheart."

Jiyong's nostrils flared and his eyes moistened at that motherly voice.   
He unclenched his hands and just let them be held there by the stinging rope. 

Net brought the cloth along his beaten face. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. She wiped the blood away from his trembling bottom lip before dipping the cloth again. She made her way down along his neck and over each rib. 

Her hand stopped at his hip and she looked down at the boy's thigh. She could see the blood that had soaked through the fabric of his boxers. When she looked up at him he was returning her gaze with a sad expression. She reached up and rested her dainty hand on his head, brushing her thumb through his damp locks.

"I'm going to help you, okay?"

After a moment he nodded shakily and clenched his hand.

Net reached up and managed to untie the ropes that had left the boy's wrists red raw. He wrapped her arms around his thin frame and helped him to sit up. He rested his body sideways against the wall and she continued to untie his ankles. 

Once he was free of his restraints she took his hands in hers.

"I need you to lean against the wall with your back to me. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?"

He nodded and went to move, but he grimaced as soon as he tried. She helped him by taking some of his weight, which was barely anything, and pulled him up. He slowly stood on his knees and turned to face the wall, leaning his palms against the concrete.

She kept one warm hand on his side and took the wet cloth with the other. She brought it up to his lower back.

"I won't remove anything. I promise."

Without another word she wrung out the cloth, letting the water fall down the boy's tailbone and through his bloody boxers. The warm water soaked through the fabric and down his thighs, turning itself red in the process. 

She watched as the boy's head hung down between his shoulder blades.

She leaned forward to get a look at the front of his legs and noticed the tattoos that peaked out just below the damp fabric.

Inhale. Exhale.

She wondered if there were ever times when he just sat and read those words to himself. Is that why he had gotten those tattoos? 

"S-S... Sometimes I get anxiety a-ttacks..."

She glanced up to see him looking down at the ink.

"They r-remind me to breathe..."

The woman felt like her heart had just broken. None of them had even considered that he could have been struggling with anything of his own. 

How could he? He's G-Dragon. The most famous and successful idol in Korea.

Without looking away she dropped her cloth back in the basin and took him by the shoulder before pulling him towards her and embracing him, not too hard as she knew that he was in agony.

At first he was hesitant, but he eventually leaned his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

She felt a warm breath against her shoulder. They stayed like this for a few minutes.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The voice came from the doorway. Both Net and Jiyong looked to the source and saw Hana standing there. 

"Who said you could untie him?"

Net gestured to the basin which was now filled with crimson water.

"I had to untie him to clean him."

Hana stepped into the room quickly.

"That doesn't look like cleaning to me."

Net remained silent.

"What did I say? Nobody unties him unless I say so."

His tone became darker as he got closer.

"He can't even stand up..."

Hana was now towering above the still kneeling woman.

"Since when do you care so much about him, huh? Wait, I know. He reminds you of him, doesn't he?"

Net now stood up right in front of Hana.

"He reminds you of Daehyun, right? Well guess what? He's gone and nothing's going to bring him back. But our little boy here-"

He felt the smack before he registered what happened. Net stared up at him breathing heavily with tears in her eyes. 

"Don't you ever mention my son's name again."

Hana held his cheek as the tingling sensation set in. Rage built up inside the taller man and just when he was about to make a move towards the woman he felt himself being pushed back. Once he regained his footing he looked down to see Jiyong on the floor in front of Net kneeling forward with his forehead resting on the floor and his hands linked behind his neck.

He was bowing, wordlessly asking him not to touch the woman. Protecting her.

Hana stared down at the boy before looking back up at Net.

"Stay. Both of you."

He spat at them and left the room. Net knew that when Hana returned it wasn't going to be good.

She looked down to see the boy trembling and heard his shallow breaths.

She spoke through her own tears.

"Sweetheart, don't be afraid."

She wouldn't have believed her own shaky voice if their roles were reversed.

Hana returned and closed the door behind him. He strode over to Jiyong.

"Don't move, boy."

The man glared at the woman once more before reaching his hand up and launching it down towards Jiyong's back.

A sickening crack filled the room followed by a cry from the young man.

The whip left a red welt along his spine. Hana continued to strike and with every heart wrenching crack, Net could only watch as Jiyong's hands gripped his hair tight and listen as his voice became hoarse.

After what felt like a hundred lashes, Hana eventually stopped. He was panting and brought his hand up to his forehead to wipe away the sweat. 

Net, who had covered her eyes half way through the punishment, slowly brought her hands down when the sound of the whipping ceased.

She looked down at Jiyong who was still kneeling like before only now he was shaking uncontrollably and his back was a bloody mess. 

"You. Out."

"But he-"

"If you don't leave this room in the next ten seconds I swear to God I'll break his back with this thing."

He tightened his grip on the leather whip.

Net gave one last glance down to the beaten boy before grabbing her things and slowly leaving the room.

Hana kneeled down so that his mouth was right next to Jiyong's ear.

"Don't move a muscle until I come back."

\--

"He didn't come back until the next day."

"Jesus..."

Detective Yu was finding it increasingly difficult to remain silent throughout Jiyong's testimony. 

"Jiyongie..."

Seunghyun couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"After that, everything was just... n-nothing."

Jiyong stared down at the metal table as he spoke.

"I stopped trying to think, trying to remember. I f-figured it would make it easier if I forgot what it was like before... and I did. I became this... shell of a person. I c-couldn't speak or stand up or... do a-anything..."

Seunghyun welled up at his little brother's words. 

"It's weird looking b-back at it now... I guess they got w-what they wanted..."

Nobody said anything for a while.

"Mr Kwon, you said there were five people. You haven't mentioned the fifth person at all and we were only able to apprehend the four you've told us about."

Jiyong looked up at the detective and blinked through furrowed brows.

"I m-must have been mistaken."

Detective Yu nodded and wrote something down in his notepad.

"Can you tell us anything about the day you were released? August 18th of this year?"

Jiyong thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I-I'm sorry, detective. As I s-said, nothing recent is really clear to m-me."

"No problem at all. We'll be interrogating Heonsu and the others. I'm sure all will be explained."

The detective smiled at the two members.

"Thank you so much. It took a lot of courage for you to tell us what you went through. You should be proud of yourself."

Seunghyun rubbed his little leader's back.

"Now, there is just one more thing we need you to do for us."

\--

They entered the room and stood behind the glass. 

"Okay, Mr Kwon. This will be the easiest part. All you have to do is tell us if these are the people that have kept you locked away all this time."

Easiest. Seunghyun thought this would actually be the hardest part for his brother.

Jiyong nodded and a moment later, the detective flicked on the light and four figures became visible through the glass on the other side. 

Each person was handcuffed and stood side by side. They couldn't see through the glass so they just stood there, gaze fixed down at the floor.

Seunghyun felt a grip in his hand as soon as the people became visible. He squeezed the smaller hand tight.

"In your own time."

Jiyong took a step forward and placed his palm on the glass. For a few moments he just took in the people in front of him. It had been so long since he had seen their actual faces.

Eventually, the little man let go of his big brother's hand and pointed a finger at the man on the very left.

"Hana."

Then the next one.

"Dul."

Ten the next one.

"Set."

Then finally.

"Net."

Detective Yu nodded.

"Great job, Mr Kwon. And you're absolutely sure that these are the people?"

Jiyong nodded.

"Please, detective."

The rapper turned to look at the sad woman at the end of the line.

"She never h-hurt me. Please be lenient."

The detective nodded and thanked them once again before showing both rappers to the exit.

They both wordlessly drove back to Jiyong's apartment. Seunghyun kept hold of the steering wheel while Jiyong just watched the dancing street lights sweep past.

"You know, Jiyongie, they didn't really get what they want."

The smaller man turned to his big brother.

"All they ended up doing was torture another human being for two years. Their loved ones aren't going to come back or get better just because they abused you..."

Jiyong thought for a moment.

"Maybe, hyung. But once the story g-gets out then it will open up a larger c-conversation."

"Ji, it shouldn't be on you to be the one to start it."

"Why not?"

The little rapper was now facing Seunghyun.

"I know what it's like, hyung. Why should I be afraid to t-talk about it?"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't talk about it, Jiyongie. It's just..."

Seunghyun let out a tired sigh.

"What they did to you is unforgivable. Having to see you like that... It was the most terrifying thing I've ever had to experience."

Jiyong leaned back against the head rest.

"I know."

He turned his face back out to the window and the pretty lights.

"I know..."

 

\--

 

They arrived back at the apartment and Jiyong found himself walking towards his bedroom without even thinking. Seunghyun followed.

The smaller man sat on the edge of the bed while the taller man helped him pull off his shirt and remove his pants. Seunghyun neatly folded them and placed them on the chair. When he turned back around he saw that Jiyong was picking up the pillows and blankets from the floor where he had been sleeping since he had returned and was placing them back to their rightful place on the bed.

"Ji?"

"I'm tired, hyung."

Seunghyun knew there was a lot of weight to that sentence and helped his little brother redress the bedsheets. 

Once everything was neat, Jiyong crawled under the covers and slowly lowered down and rested his head on the pillow. He took a moment before looking up at Seunghyun.

"Hyung, will you please sleep here with me?"

The taller rapper was taken aback for a moment, but eventually smiled down at his exhausted little brother.

"Of course I will."

Without another word, Seunghyun removed his own shirt and pants and placed them next to Jiyong's before climbing into the bed next to the smaller rapper. 

He turned to face Jiyong and pulled the smaller man gently into him so that his own broad torso was hugging his baby brother's slender back. As he wrapped his arms around the boy he could feel the angry scars press against his own chest. Seunghyun buried his face in Jiyong's soft hair and kissed his head.

"I'm right here, Jiyongie. I'll protect you from everything bad in this world."

"T-Thanks hyu..."

Before he could finish his sentence they were both fast asleep.


	14. Flower Road

'Breaking News. We have just received new information on G-Dragon's whereabouts for the last two years. Police have released a statement saying that the singer songwriter was kidnapped from his home and brought to an unknown location where he was kept and abused for the length of time he was held captive. Police have arrested four suspects and have been able to confirm from a testimony from G-Dragon that they are the ones responsible. We are unable to disclose their names at this time, but when asked why they did what they did, they said the following:

"Each of us are affected by something that we are too afraid to talk about. We, and those around us, can suffer from illnesses that you can't even see; depression, anxiety, bipolar. We live in a society where if you try to reach out, your hand is slapped away. We did what we did because we knew that if somebody with as much public influence as G-Dragon was seen as needing help just like we and our loved ones do, then maybe somebody will actually give a damn. I guess now we just wait and see."

This statement was taken yesterday. The world was rocked when G-Dragon was given back to us, but only time will tell if what these monsters set out to achieve actually worked. 

Just how badly affected is G-Dragon from the last two years? YG has yet to release a statement. We'll be sure to keep you updated in the coming-'

"God damnit!"

Taeyang threw the remote onto the couch.

"Youngbae, calm down."

Seunghyun spoke softly causing the smaller man to take a breath.

"Sorry hyung. I just hate that what they did is... I mean- I- I don't even know anymore..."

He leaned back on the chair and let out a sigh. 

The two members were alone in the living room. There was a pregnant silence between them that they just let sit.

"He's never going to be the same, is he?"

The older man didn't answer immediately. 

"I don't know, Bae."

Another silence.

"How is he doing?"

Taeyang had only arrived just before the news had started to take over from Seunghyun.

"He's sleeping in his bed now, which is good. When we got back from the station he fell straight into bed. Ever since then he's been hesitant, but okay."

"That is a big step, hyung. Considering what he was like before."

Seunghyun wasn't smiling.

"You should have heard the way he was describing it... There was so much sadness in his voice... So much fear..."

Taeyang watched as his older brother became increasingly forlorn.

"Hyung, are you okay?"

Seunghyun blinked the tears that had year to fall away. 

"I will be, Bae."

With that, the rapper stood up.

"Okay. I'll head home and grab a shower. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, hyung. Take care."

Taeyang closed the door after Seunghyun and spun around into the kitchen. He'd gotten into the habit of bringing Jiyong a glass of water when he was asleep so that if he was thirsty in the middle of the night he wouldn't have to leave the bed that he was just starting to get comfortable being in again. 

He filled up the glass and headed for the bedroom. It was close to midnight so the rapper should be asleep by now. 

He silently pushed open the door and saw Jiyong in bed, but he wasn't asleep. He was sitting up, leaning back against the head rest. He was just staring into space with both hands lying open over the covers on his lap. 

"Jiyongie?"

His little brother blinked and was brought out of his daze.

"Oh. Hey, hyung."

Taeyang made his way to the bed and sat on the edge, setting the glass down on the bedside table.

"Are you feeling okay?"

The older boy placed the back of his palm against his baby brother's forehead.

"I was just thinking."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jiyong took a moment.

"When I was giving m-my statement... I told the detective there were five people."

Taeyang instantly sat up straight and became concerned.

"But Ji, they only arrested four. Do you think there could be someone else out-"

Jiyong shook his head.

"No, Bae. There were only four of them. I k-know that. But I saw five."

"I don't understand."

The rapper turned to face out the window as he thought about what he was going to say.

"I guess I was seeing who I needed to see. S-Sometimes it was you. Sometimes it was Seunghyunnie-hyung or Seungri or Dae."

He still gazed out the window.

"Sometimes it was me... or G-Dragon I guess..."

Taeyang took Jiyong by the shoulder, signalling for him to turn around.

"Kwon Jiyong is G-Dragon. You may find confidence and energy as GD, but that comes from inside of you."

The singer placed his palm on his little brother's chest.

"It comes from inside you, Jiyong. He is always going to be there for you. Just like us."

Jiyong blinked slowly and placed his hand over Taeyang's which still rested on his shaky chest.

"I have s-something for you."

"What-"

Taeyang went to ask and just watched Jiyong crawl to the other side of the bed and pick something up from beside it. He returned to his warm side and handed it to his best friend.

It was a frame with a pressed sunflower inside it. The frame was prettily designed with smiley faces and doodles of little suns and flowers. 

Taeyang read the words that decorated the top edge.

"For worse or for better just stay with me forever..."

He felt his eyes tear up.

"Ji..."

"You are my sun, Youngbae. And I need you to know that you always will be."

A tear eventually fell from the older boy's eyes.

"I'll keep this beside my bed... so it will be be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night."

"Rising and setting like the sun."

The rapper replied and smiled.

"Thank you, Jiyongie. I love you."

Taeyang reached forward and took his baby brother in his arms, embracing him tight, not ever wanting to let him go.

Jiyong returned the embrace.

"I love you too."

 

\--

 

The maknae came by the next morning with a present of his own. He was very excited to give it to his big brother. 

Taeyang greeted Seungri and bid him goodbye. The young singer turned on the kettle and sat at the kitchen counter waiting for his brother.

Eventually, Jiyong emerged from his room rubbing his hand through his messy hair. He instantly lit up.

"Hyung!"

The maknae jumped down from the counter and ran towards the rapper with his hands behind his back.

"I have a present for you."

"Huh?"

Jiyong was still waking up so he wasn't fully aware.

Seungri quickly swung his hands around in front of him to show his leader what he brought.

"Tada!"

Jiyong stared down at what was in his little brother's hands. It was a frame of his own.

The CD that Jiyong had taped back together after the maknae snapped it in half, it was now in a beautiful white frame with a little plaque underneath it. The older boy read the words.

"Good memories are always more vivid."

He thought back to what he had said to the maknae about bad memories sometimes being more clear than the good ones.

He instantly felt his heart warm up.

"It's to remind you that you will always have the music. No matter what happens, hyung."

Jiyong looked up at his maknae, nostrils flaring and tears threatening to fall.

"T-Thank you, Seungri. Really."

Seungri beamed at Jiyong's heartfelt words.

"I have a present for you too."

"Me?"

"Mhmm."

Jiyong hobbled back into his bedroom and returned with a frame. With one hand he took Seungri's present from him and with the other he gave his to the maknae.

Seungri looked down at the frame and saw the pressed flower and playfully designed edges.

"It's Baby's Breath. It s-symbolises youth and innocence."

Seungri blinked through tears and took in a shaky breath.

"Please don't ever lose your innocence, Seungri. S-Sometimes I feel like your energy is the only thing keeping the rest o-of us from falling forever."

Seungri was speechless.

"Hyung, I... Thank you so much."

He lunged foreword and took his leader in his arms. 

"I'll always be here, Jiyongie-hyung. I'll always be strong for you."

Jiyong rested his head on his maknae's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Thank you, Seungri. I love you."

"I love you too, hyung."

 

\--

 

Daesung arrived at around lunch time. Seungri was originally going to stick around, but he wanted to give him some time with Jiyong so he said he had to go to the store.

So Daesung sat with his big brother on the couch. He smiled at Jiyong.

"Seungri said you both had a good day."

"Yes, we did. I've a feeling it's about to get better."

His leader cheekily smiled at the singer.

"What do you mean, hyung?"

"I like to see you s-smile, Dae. It's infectious."

The singer was highly confused at his big brother's strange behaviour. Seeing his little brother struggle, Jiyong just went on with it.

"Here."

The rapper reached behind him and handed Daesung his frame.

"What's this?"

The singer asked and instinctively took what he was given. His eyes surveyed the frame.

"Is that..."

"Cherry Blossom."

His leader confirmed as he continued.

"Mono no aware."

Daesung knew that Japanese phrase. 

"An empathy towards things."

He quoted the literal translation.

"Memories are important, Daesung. Even the bad ones. It's how we learn t-to grow. Like these flowers."

The singer had been through some tough times and his leader was there for him every step of the way. 

"We've all been t-through a lot a-and I want you to know that I have and always will empathise with you."

Daesung looked up at his leader through misty eyes.

"And it's o-okay to feel sad. Whenever you do I w-want you to look at this cherry blossom and grow with it. That's what you've done f-for me these past few months and I am so g-grateful to you, Dae."

Jiyong leaned forward and wrapped his arms gently around the younger singer.

Daesung was blinking through tears at this stage as he wrapped his own arms around his big brother's thin body.

"Hyung, I-I don't know what to say. I... Thank you.. from the bottom of my heart... I love you, hyung."

"I love you too, Dae."

 

\--

 

Daesung rang Seunghyun and told him that he had to leave Jiyong. When the older man asked why he just pretended that the line was bad and hung up. It made Jiyong giggle as he watched Daesung act out the sounds of static.

So an hour later, Seunghyun arrived through the door. He was damp as it was lightly raining so he went into the kitchen and grabbed a towel to quickly dry his hair.

He took the towel away to see Jiyong sitting up on the counter.

"Ah!"

The little person startled the tall rapper.

"Ji, you scared the life out of me!"

His baby brother snickered and playfully kicked his feet back and forth.

"Sorry, hyung."

Seunghyun snickered himself at how cute Jiyong was acting.

"Are you okay?"

The younger rapper nodded and watched as his big brother turned to return the towel to the rack.

Seunghyun stopped when he saw the frame sitting on the black marble.

"What's this?"

"White Heather."

The older rapper picked up the frame, scanning each side of the intricately designed dark wood around the edges.

"It symbolises protection, hyung."

He examined the pressed flower as he slowly turned around to face his body towards his little brother.

"As your leader, I w-will always do my best to protect you. I am here when things seem dark j-just like you are for me. Like you have been."

Seunghyun took a step forward.

"Ji..."

"I feel safe with you, hyung. That's probably why I-I was able to finally sleep in my own bed again... because y-you were there."

Seunghyun stood in between Jiyong's legs, now level with the smaller man who was still perched on the kitchen counter.

"Y-You're my big brother and I'll always feel safe with you. I love you, hyung."

Without a word, Seunghyun reached foreword and pressed his body against his baby brother's, hugging him tight.

"I love you, Jiyongie. I'll always protect you."

That night was the best night sleep Jiyong had in years and it was because he was right next to his hyung.

 

\--

 

The next morning, Jiyong woke up to find his bed empty. He scratched his head and dragged himself out of the covers. He didn't even bother to throw on a shirt as he just sauntered into the living room.

"Good morning!"

Jiyong was momentarily startled, but relaxed once he saw Seungri sitting on the couch next to Daesung, Taeyang and Seunghyun.

"What are you all doing here? I thought we were having dinner t-tonight."

"Well, Jiyongie-hyung, we were so touched by your gifts for us that we decided to make you one from all of us."

Seungri explained.

"You made me one?"

Jiyong adorably asked and sat on the armchair next to them.

"Here, hyung. From us to you."

Daesung handed their leader the frame.

The little rapper instantly recognised the flower.

"Dandelion."

"It symbolises overcoming hardship."

Taeyang explained. 

"Jiyongie, as a group we've been through so much together. We've had a lot of hard times and you've been there through them all. As a leader, as a friend and as a brother."

Seunghyun spoke proudly.

"And in light of what you've gone through for the past two years, to be sitting here in front of us now shows just how strong a person you are, Ji."

Taeyang smiled at his little brother.

Jiyong looked at each of his brothers.

"The reason I'm sitting here is because of each of you. I w-would still be afraid to s-speak if you weren't so patient and understanding."

"Honestly, hyung, we didn't understand what the hell was going on inside that head of yours!"

Daesung spoke lightly, causing the others to laugh.

"Well, I'm thankful that y-you were w-willing to try."

Seungri placed his hand on his leader's shoulder.

"You're our brother, Jiyongie-hyung. We would never turn away from you."

Jiyong could feel himself welling up.

"Wherever you go, we go. Like flowers, we will guide you."

The deep voice of his oldest brother soothed him as he spoke.

Jiyong looked back down at the frame in his hands and read the writing that decorated the top of the red painted edge.

"You are only walking on the flower road..."

 

\---

THE END


End file.
